Last week marked a major milestone in my life. No, I'm not talking about my transition into university life or moving to an entirely different state. For the first time in ages, I willingly went 24 hours without opening my laptop. The transfer student welcome days gave me the opportunity to stretch my legs and familiarize myself with my new environment, but all the socializing and wandering left me longing for the cozy embrace of a quiet room. Here's a quick look at why constant exploration isn't all it's cracked up to be.

1. Exhaustion

Applicable to both a physical and mental level, extended outings can take their toll on the unprepared. I never went out much prior to college life, so three days worth of attending events and switching between venues was a killer on my feet. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I attended everything, but I could definitely do without that feeling you get when you're a quarter mile away from your apartment and ready to collapse on the way back.

2. Too Many Faces To Remember

So I previously mentioned the fact that I was able to strike up conversations with a ton of new people. I also forgot to mention that I probably remember around 20% of their names and even less about their majors, hobbies, etc..

When you're constantly making new connections, it's easy to lose track of who you actually talked to. Once classes started I couldn't tell you how many times I thought I recognized someone who turned out to be a stranger when I tried to pick up "our" last conversation.

3. Information Overload

It turns out the welcome days are supposed to be more than just a way to meet other students; apparently you were supposed to learn something from them as well. At first I was keeping tabs on some of the important academic resources that I could take advantage of during my college career, but a couple hours in and most of the student organizations went through one ear and out the other.

4. Less Opportunities To Relax

I'm not necessarily talking about just lounging around doing nothing, but I found that I very rarely had a chance to stay in my own mind, if that makes any sense. I wasn't able to reflect on many of the potential lessons I could have absorbed from the different tours and presentations. By throwing myself at every event possible, I feel like I have a solid idea of the different facets of college life, but at the same time I never had the time to appreciate the parts that really appealed to me.

Like a lot of students, I'm mostly exaggerating my exhaustion over all these events, but I really do think it's crucial for people to find a balance between being active and simmering down every once in awhile.