To go home or to lock yourself in the library? That is the question.
Ask a group of Notre Dame students where their hometown is and I would bet my life savings that some are from a suburb of Chicago. But for students like myself, who are a plane ride away from where they live, going home is not as simple. As a Floridian on the outside looking in, I am incredibly jealous of everyone who can hop in their car and be home in an hour or two.
In the midst of the fall semester of a new year, stress can become very high. All of a sudden you are standing knee-deep in copious amounts of tests, papers, and projects that seem to have come up out of nowhere. You know how your professors teach and how the class works and you’ve covered a decent amount of material or information. Now it is time to buckle down and study for everything you’ve learned thus far. You have no idea how the first test is going to be formatted or how strictly the professor grades. So, why not drive home and take yourself out of the “distraction” of Notre Dame weekend activities? I mean if there’s no home game, of course.
Going home to alleviate stress is a fantastic idea. Enjoy a home-cooked meal, take a shower without shower shoes (every girl’s greatest “ahhh” moment), hug mom, and cuddle with the puppy. But is it all that productive? When my friends go home to “study for a test” or “write a long paper,” they usually return saying that they got nothing accomplished. Struggling to walk up the stairs of Le Mans hall with more bags than they left with, they look tired and winded.
Whenever my friends return from being home, they never look well rested or de-stressed. In fact, I think the stress level rises upon arrival at campus. Most of my friends stay at school for Friday night and leave Saturday morning to spend the day and overnight at their house. They get to their homes around two o’clock in the afternoon and start their “relaxing” weekend.
When you go home, you take advantage of all the pleasures that going home entails. Sleeping in your comfy bed (let’s say an hour nap), eating that yummy meal while conversing with the whole family (let’s say at least an hour and a half), taking advantage of dad’s credit card by taking that “stock-up on grocery and other necessities” shopping trip (2 hours), and of course stopping by your favorite ice cream place or doughnut shop (yes, I myself have had the famous Chicago suburb Kirschbaum doughnut). All of these activities take up a huge chunk of time and without even realizing it, the weekend is almost over and you still haven’t written that paper. It’s ten o’clock at night, and now you’re stressed about going back to campus.
Personally, I want school to be my happy place, as well as my home. When I come back to South Bend, I want to be de-stressed and the last thing I want to say to myself is, “Ugh when I get back to campus I have to do my poli-sci paper.” School should be a healthy balance of academics and activities. Using the facilities the school provides is something every student should do. I find that locking myself in the library creates the same effect, if not better, than going home – especially if your library is the Notre Dame Hesburgh Library. Club Hes is always bumpin’!