Year three, are you ready?
Entering my junior year, my mindset felt both uneasy and excited — excited for what this semester was to bring as I reunite with friends that I barely saw all summer, but weird and uneasy in terms of school and my focus. Which I have no idea why, considering my major is something that I absolutely love. Maybe I was less nervous about school itself and more fearful of the potential changes with current relationships.
Junior year: half way done with undergrad, leaving one year from stepping into grad school or the real world. One more year to have that internship opportunity lined up for the summer or next semester. One more year to enjoy before the countdown truly begins. As exciting as that can be, it couldn’t be more stressful and that stress messes with your mind. Only two full weeks into classes, I’ve noticed a change in some of my closest friends. I know that our relationship is still just as pure, but the time we are able to spend together is limited because we now have bigger things to plan for.
This change in mentality makes me feel so weird. I’m reminiscing on the beauty of freshman year, the carefree attitude we all shared and the joy behind forming so many great relationships with my now closet friends. Taking any moment to hang out, go out and stay up until who knows when because our responsibilities were so limited. We were still adjusting from being away from home, we wanted to keep busy and really focus on creating a solid social life. I also miss us living in close proximity to one another, being able to go next door or in the neighboring building to see my best friends made being constantly social so much easier. Now with everyone having houses and apartments spread throughout campus, it’s obviously such a cool feeing to hang out at our own places, but it’s definitely more of a plan instead of a whim when it comes to going to see a friend.
With that being said, don’t feel down if you feel slightly socially awkward, out of touch or unmotivated. This funk won’t last. This is simply just another period of adjustment. People handle stress in various ways, so don’t take it personal if you feel shut out from someone close to you, which is something I need to keep reminding myself of. Take this as advice and take this time to keep focusing on what you’re doing for your future, but still remember that things come with hard work. Junior year should still be fun, keep your limitless spirit and happy mentality. These precious four years of undergrad will be forever impactful on your life — with the memories you’ve made, lessons you’ve learned and people that have blessed your life. Keep them close to you and keep these times alive while you can, you’ll forever be grateful.
Photos taken by Aja Moore, taken once moving out of Freshman Housing