It's junior year, and you know what that means. Everyone around you is preparing to begin the rest of their life. Whether this means people are applying for internships, or you are watching the business and nursing school kids wrap up what will be the end of their education forever for many of them, you know how stressful of a time this is. But it seems as though the friends who are preparing for a graduate school admissions test are the ones who are the most on edge. Especially when it comes close to test time. So what are the big changes you see during the semester when you disappear in the library for three to four months cramming to get into your respective school?
1. You isolate yourself.
Whether this means putting your phone on do not disturb or actively avoiding your friends because you do not want to waste an hour getting distracted, you completely surround yourself with only your study materials most of the time.
2. Your meals are on-the-go.
There is no time for sitting down and enjoying a dining hall meal for 30 minutes. Meals are grabbed to go and taken straight back to your piles of books to eat while you read.
3. You lose the little bit of patience that you once had.
Anything sets you off. And when people ask you why you are stressed out all the time (the one question you hate to be asked), you reply with a snide remark because you have become a ticking time bomb.
4. You lose all regards for your appearance.
After getting a mere five hours of sleep from studying for not only your admissions test, but also studying for your exams in each of your three to four classes, and participating in extracurriculars- the last thing you are worried about is whether your hair is brushed, or if what you are wearing matches. As long as your clothes are clean and your teeth are brushed, you are ready to take on the day.
5. Caffeine REALLY becomes your best friend.
Now for college students, caffeine has already become a constant in your life, but with late nights of taking practice exams, and watching online instructors teach you the Krebs Cycle for the past two hours-- coffee gives you the extra kick you need to keep from packing your bags and heading to bed.
6. Your alarm becomes your enemy (in my case, my worst enemy).
Every minute counts once your head hits that pillow. Enough said.
7. Your text messages go unanswered for hours, sometimes days.
This doesn't mean you haven't seen the text message sent by your mom, asking how your day is going. You either do not have time to get into a conversation with her, OR she would not be happy to hear exactly how your day is going, in the terms you would use.
8. You look forward to the future more than ever before.
Because never in your life have you wanted to be done with something so badly.
But remember-- there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
