Everyone's college experience is different, but each student finds their own niche on campus. There are those who play varsity sports, those who participate in student government, and more. One niche that I've found myself a part of is the honors program at my college. If you are part of the honors program like I am, I'm sure you can relate to some of these truths I've learned over the course of my first semester.
1. You're always afraid you forgot an assignment even after you've crossed everything off your to-do list.
Those quizzes due at 11:59 p.m. always seem to sneak up on you when you let your guard down.
2. You feel like a failure if you get anything below a 4.0.
Sure, this may be an unrealistic goal when it comes to balancing extracurricular activities and a social life. (LOL. You wish.) Even so, getting a GPA below a 4.0 tends to bum you out.
3. Eight hours of sleep is a rare gift.
Five hours of sleep is more your speed during the week. You're always up late studying (or watching Netflix when your studying becomes too much). When you're finally able to get eight hours of sleep, you feel stronger than ever.
4. During the weekend, however, sleeping in is the norm.
You know you should probably wake up early to get work done, but you often find yourself relaxing and waiting to do your work until Sunday.
5. The majority of your friends are in the honors program, too.
You enjoy spending time with others who can relate to you on this level.
6. You rarely skip class.
You wouldn't want to miss a class filled with important information; every honors class has something important to teach you.
7. You learn to love reading.
If you didn't love reading beforehand, now is your chance to get to love it. You'll be reading books like there's no tomorrow.
8. Your professors know your name and what you do on campus.
It's comforting knowing that your professors genuinely care about you.
9. People always ask you why you do it, and sometimes you ask yourself the same thing.
When you see other students going out to have fun on a Friday night, you're inside working on your paper and begin questioning your life choices.
10. But you know in your heart that it'll be worth it in the end.
You don't let the haters get you down. Although you may complain about the workload at times, you really do enjoy it and love learning. (Plus, it doesn't hurt to graduate with honors.)
Being a part of your college's honors program can be exhausting at times, but there are so many perks to participating in it. You find yourself working harder than you could have imagined, you get to make friends who have the same goals as you do, and you get to develop relationships with your professors that you may not have gotten to otherwise.