Stress
Just the word alone: Stress. It stresses me out, and so what if I’m being a tad dramatic about it? It’s something I have to deal with. I don’t know this from experience because, well, I haven’t been a part of the “real world” yet, but I’m predicting college stress is on a different level. It’s like college stress is a subcategory. It’s not that one stressor is more important than the other. It’s the fact that they are two different stressors. For example, as a college student, my first stress is figuring out during the summer… How the hell am I going to pay for this? I simply solve it with personal debit that I push aside and plan on stressing about in the years to come. Second stressor, moving in: Well, I need to figure out when am I going to pack, am I going to like the people I’m living with, and how is moving in going to go? Third stressor: the actual school factor. At first, it’s intimidating, but then you go to your first class and it’s actually not that bad. Once you survive your first week you start to see a light at the end of the tunnel. Then bam! Your first test arrives and, oh, that same week you have 5 papers, 2 projects, 1 online assignment, a group project and an extra credit assignment that you feel you NEED, and that’s all just for your Monday-Wednesday-Friday classes. I better not start on those long Tuesday-Thursday classes. Fourth Stressor: social life. You decide to make some friends, get involved. It’s a great decision. Then bam!!! The 100 clubs you just joined now need your help all on the same day, and your friends are pissed about who knows what because you did something you didn’t even know you did. And the person you’re upset with is being more melodramatic then you’ve ever seen. Fifth stressor: sleep. Yes, that’s a stressor because you need sleep, but you can’t get sleep. You’re worrying about not sleeping and then when you finally realize you can get some shut eye, you’re scared you’re going to oversleep. You are just so exhausted you oversleep. As you’re panicking, you check your phone to find out class was canceled, and you got an extension on the two papers that were due.
Reading all of that should have stressed you out because writing it sure did that to me. However, stressing is a part of life and has been, is, and forever always will be a part of college. Not every second will be a mountain of stress. Actually, I love college. I can so wait until graduation day when I have to figure out what to do with my life. The stress you deal with in school is helping you. That’s my perspective at least. Yes, some professors give way too much work or just don’t give you enough time, but if you actually follow their timeline and start things early, those five billion assignments you’ve been worried about will all be done.
I’m sorry, let’s take a moment and laugh about the bullshit that I wrote. We’re college students. Procrastination is the key to survival. That’s how we have social lives. No, it’s not our goal to wait ‘til the last minute, but we want a life too. Plus, other projects for other classes come up, and there’s always that one class that you just push to the side. My one question is: how the heck do I fix my mistakes? I can’t answer this for you. What you need to do is figure out what works for you. Once a week, book a room in the library, go to the student union, sit in a lounge in your dorm and start getting shit done. Schedule in homework. Make a calendar at the very beginning of the year and put down for every assignment that it’s due the class before it’s actually due. Make a study group. Tell all of your friends to bring headphones and time yourselves. The first 15 minutes, no one talks. The second 15 minutes, you’re allowed to talk and just go back and forth ‘til all homework is done. Procrastinate, hope for a C. I can’t tell you the best solution for you. All I can say is college is an experience worth having if you’re willing to give it your all.
If you are nervous, stressed or scared about something find a friendly face. At KU every dorm has DRs, CAs, an ARD, BDs. Reach out to one of them. You can go to CA on another floor. They don’t bite. Old Main has the Writing Center, Women’s Center, and LGBTQ Center. The MSU has so many nooks and crannies to study in and the OSI, and the MSU staff are amazing! Plus, Starbucks and the Cub Cafe! Then there is the Rohrbach Library, where you can reserve a room, borrow a laptop, and go to the Writing Center. There are so many other places on campus. The thing is, no matter what school you go to, professors aren’t setting you up to fail. I know it may seem like that at times, but that’s just their way of teaching. Friends you make may not always last and some will last forever. There are hundreds or thousands of people on your campus. Go join a club, make a new friend. Life goes on, so you need to keep going too. Stress will get to you. The amount of time you spend with a specific one person will get to you. However, it’s all worth it. As the lady on the loud speaker for the Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parade Practice so kindly shouted, “Personal responsibility, people, personal responsibility. You’re going to have to deal with it for the rest of your life!” And that was just about two pompoms. Imagine what she would say if it was about college.