Every new semester presents anxiety for me. New classes, new classmates, new professors, new routes to class and the possibility of seeing my enemies.
It’s a whole new schedule to manage and it can be incredibly intimidating. This semester I am taking on a few new ventures that are out of my comfort zone.
Last week, I was unexpectedly asked to tutor for a rather difficult class I took last semester. I was flattered and excited before the nervousness and panic set in. I did pass the class and did relatively well in it, but it did present stress for me at certain times. Though I have not started tutoring yet, I have done some required online training already. These trainings are great and give you a good sense of some of the scenarios you may encounter, but until I’m actually in that setting myself, I am a little nervous. I have a little bit of imposter syndrome going into this. Who am I to be able to help these kids for a class I just took last semester? One thought I hold onto that calms me down is I know I have help. My professor that taught this class last semester has already offered to help should I need it. I am also trying to remember that the students that come to see me are my peers, and they aren’t expecting me to be an expert in the subject. I am excited to start tutoring and earning a little money. But I’m also excited for the opportunity to learn and experience a new challenge.
Another new exploit for me this semester is joining the student version of American Advertising Federation (AAF). AAF is a class offered here in which students work to create a campaign for a real company and present it before a panel of judges in hopes of winning the competition. I signed up to be a copywriter for this year. The brand we are creating a campaign for is the detergent Tide. As a copywriter, I will help create the words that are the basis of the campaign. This is a lot of pressure for me. I am a creative person but still, I am a little nervous for my responsibilities within this organization.
My regular class load is also pretty full. Because I added two new minors, philosophy and sociology, I am beginning to take classes that fulfill those requirements. As for my major, I am taking some higher-level classes as I am graduating next year. I know many of these classes are going to be very demanding as the semester continues.
I am also maintaining all three internships I had last semester. Obviously, I write for Her Campus and manage the brand deals for our chapter. I also write for The Villager newspaper in Ellicottville and the online publication TAPinto Greater Olean.
Though my schedule has not been too crowded this far into the semester, I am a bit nervous for how busy I am going to get once classes start to get more in depth and we move closer to midterms. Thankfully, the physical setup of my schedule day to day leaves a decent amount of room for me get my work done but also spend time with friends and maintain my self-care.