Syllabus week is great, but whether it is your freshman or senior year, you are going to get overwhelmed by school at some point this semester. This is a product of being a studious person who cares about succeeding, so it is probably a good thing. Here are five things to remind yourself when you are at your lowest point.
1. If you weren't overwhelmed as some point, you would not be challenging yourself.
This is important. Why spend a frightening amount of money and four years of your life at a prestigious university if you are not going to take advantage of it and learn a lot? Challenging yourself is going to pay off, whether it be monetarily or just by the value of being educated.
2. "Hell weeks" do not last forever.
As the phrase itself suggests, a "hell week," when you have a long paper due and multiple exams and quizzes, usually only lasts one week. Yes, the grades will live on past the end of the week, but the stress will not. Also, hell weeks usually take place right before a vacation like Fall Break, so think about what you have to look forward to.
3. One class affects about 2.5% of your GPA.
At Vanderbilt, we take an average of five classes per semester, which means that each class is 2.5% of all of your classes over eight semesters. If you are stressing out because you are pulling an all-nighter and will still get a not-so-satisfactory grade tomorrow, it is not that big of a deal. The same goes for if you are overwhelmed with too much work and one class suffers greatly because you cannot give it enough attention. One exam or paper is not going to ruin your grade in the class, and one (or two or more) bad grade(s) on your transcript is not going to ruin your GPA.
4. People care about you.
I don't know you, but I do know that there are people out there who care about your well-being. If you need to cry or rant about your schoolwork, find someone who will listen, whether it is your roommate, significant other, advisor, therapist, sorority sister, or the voice of a parent. Sometimes all you need to realize that your life is not spiraling out of control is to get your feelings out.
5. You can do it.
So what the lines in your planner are overflowing with assignments? You will get them done. This may mean experiencing major FOMO over the weekend, getting an unhealthy amount of sleep for too many nights in a row, or feeling stir crazy because you haven't left your room or the library in far too long, but these are all things you have to deal with as a high-achieving college student. Remember that there will be plenty of time to have fun with your friends in the near future, drink some coffee, and take a walk outside if you need to take a quick break. Chances are, it is going to be okay.
