Ahh, fall... The crisp leaves, the chilly air, warm sweaters... and sniffles. It's that time of year. Getting sick at school is just about inevitable, being that upwards of 25,000 students live in close quarters and share dozens on dozens of public spaces. Gone are the high school days of staying home, sleeping, having mom make you soup, and then heading back to school rested and 100%, with at least two days to make up homework.
Here are 7 (very dramatic) things that happen when you get sick in college:
1. Denial
"It's probably just allergies," "Maybe it's just a cold?", "I don't have time for this, I can't be sick. I'll be fine". College students are stubborn and way too busy to be down for the count. There are no sick days in college. You are determined to fend off this unwanted inconvenience. You grab your travel pack of tissues (no one wants to be the sniffly kid in class), down some coffee, and trek on.
2. Realizing everyone around you is getting sick
Everyone on campus seems to be sniffling, coughing, and downing shots of DayQuil like it's their favorite liquor at a Saturday football tailgate. Your roommates have been blowing their noses for days. You are still determined to be the one healthy soul. Your gut (and increasingly congested sinuses) tells you what is coming is inevitable.
3. Acceptance
You realize resistance is futile the day you wake up with a painful cough, stuffed up head, and the shivers, or worse, puking. You have no choice but to admit it- you are sick. But, as I mentioned in #1, sick days are not an option- especially when attendance is 20% of your grade. Pull on your fluffy sweater, arm yourself with cough drops, and make your way to classes. Yes, it is miserable. Yes, you are sick. Nevertheless, you and I both know you'll keep going until you've run yourself into the ground.
4. Anxiety
You feel yourself getting closer to hitting that wall of collapse. Naps take precedence over homework in hopes that you can sleep off the illness that has fallen upon you. If you've never been sick at school before, the first time handling it is not fun. You worry if you should even try to go to class. Not to mention the embarrassment and scorn you feel from being the class cougher for the whole two-hour lecture. Yikes. Every time you cough, sniffle, or sneeze, it's like:
5. Death by homework
You don't think you've ever been so behind in your life. You might be going insane. You are surrounded by half-completed assignments, on pause because the plague prevented you from finishing them in a timely manner. Group project? 8 page essay on the collapse of Ancient Rome? Chem exam in two days? No, I'll sit here in my sick, unproductive shame, thank you.
6. Physical collapse
Cough drops, Tylenol, and 7UP have become your main sources of nutrition. "Where am I? This stress level is not good for my immune system. What day is it? I need to sleep. Am I dying? I want my mom." You then sleep for 48 straight hours.
7. Comeback
You finally start to feel better and catch up on your work. Food has a taste again, and you can breathe. You have disinfected every door handle, remote, and sink faucet in your apartment or dorm. You survived the first bout of campus illness. You are a champion. Kind of. It's the little victories that matter.
Batten down the hatches for flu season, college warriors. May the odds be ever in your favor.
