After three months of a blissful summer vacation, it’s time to start the new academic year. Here’s what I’m looking forward to most this semester!
1. Productivity
I’m someone who really benefits from having things to do. I go crazy if I’m just sitting at home. I know for a fact that I will regret saying this, but I am really looking forward to being productive again and feeling like I’m actually getting things done. School, work, club meetings, studying, etc. All these things can get overwhelming and stressful at times, but at least I feel good knowing I have actual obligations other than binge watching another TV series. I’ve been on summer vacation for three months, and I’m dying to dive back into the routine of going to class, getting work done and learning. That’s what college is for, after all.
2. Freedom
Being back home with my family for the summer was great, but I definitely don’t have as much freedom as I do in college. This is a blessing and a curse. A blessing because there’s always someone telling me that maybe I shouldn’t eat ice cream for dinner, or maybe I should stay in tonight instead of going out. It’s nice to have someone looking out for you, even if it means you have less freedom. But freedom is great. You can make your own decisions, even if they’re bad decisions. I feel like I grow so much more as a person when I have freedom.
3. Being reunited with friends
It’s tough to all of a sudden go from seeing your friends every day to being separated for three months. In high school, you make friends with people who all live in your town. So when you all go on summer break, the greatest distance between you is maybe one of your friends lives on the other side of town. In college, you meet people from all over the country and all over the world. It’s a lot harder to organize sushi dates and late night Dairy Queen runs. So while some of the Snap Streaks I have with my college friends are getting quite impressive, I’m really looking forward to seeing all of them again!
4. Making This Year Better Than Last Year
To any first years reading this, don’t expect your first year of college to be perfect. Your first year of college is very much a transition phase. You’re testing the waters, figuring out how things work in college, how to manage your time, how to find friends, etc. Going into my second year, I am by no means an expert at any of these things, but at least I’ve gotten a feel for what it’s like. Like most people, my first year was filled with a lot of ups and downs. But now I have a better sense of what college actually is and because of that, I know that this year will be heaps better than last year!
What are you looking forward to this semester?
