Let’s be honest, being home for about month allows you to get pretty comfortable in your routines and surroundings. You’re around your family and hometown friends without a single assignment in mind. Break starts off fast with the excitement of the holidays then quickly dies down into the days that move a little bit more slowly. No matter how slow the days are you’re still enjoying the feeling of not having a crazy number of assignments piling up.
Then finally comes the day when it’s time to pack all your things and head back to campus. While heading back you have an uncertain feeling on what to expect for the new semester. Will I like my professors? How will all my classes be? How heavy will my workload be? A familiar feeling, yet something that comes with a little bit of stress.
One thing I always do to feel a little bit less stressed, is putting my new schedule into my calendar on my phone. I add the specific times of my classes and along with that I add the room numbers of the classrooms. This helps ensure that I will make it to class on time and that I will know right where I’m going.
A new class routine often entails a whole new routine all together. When do I have time to eat lunch in between my classes? When will I have time to go to the gym, when it’s not crazy busy? How early do I have to wake up? All of a sudden even the small parts of your day need to be replanned.
While it can feel like everyone else has already figured it out, the truth is most students are quietly asking themselves the same questions. The transition period can feel overwhelming, especially after weeks of comfort and familiarity.
The good news is that falling back into a routine doesn’t happen all at once, it will slowly come together over the first few weeks of the semester. Sure, those first few weeks come with some trial and error. You’ll get to experience the missed alarms, awkward gaps between classes, and days that feel way longer than expected.
Although each day will come with a little more structure than the last. Whether it’s finding a new favorite study spot, finding the perfect time to eat with friends, or finally feeling settled in your classes. Eventually, what once felt stressful becomes routine, and campus starts to feel like home again.