It's time for school to start! Some people await this with some excitement, while others dread it. Personally, I'm always excited for school. However, I won't pretend like it doesn't completely alter the routine I developed over the summer. That can be a little jarring, but it's also a nice change. The switch from summer to school can feel fresh and new.

Here are a few of the usual thoughts and problems when the beginning of the school year approaches.

"Ah, I have to buy books."

Buying books is expensive and also rather stressful. There's a lot of pressure involved. You have to find the right books for your classes. But then you try to find the cheapest prices for that book. Then there's that inevitable groan when there's no way to get that one book at a reasonable price. Oh, well. What can you do?

"I am going to have to wake up early."

Like I said before, once the semester starts, your schedule completely changes. You have to get up earlier and go to bed earlier, but somehow, you simultaneously have to make time for doing homework. Even though I'm a night owl by nature, I like to get things done in the morning, so I pretty much always have 8 a.m. classes.

"Driving to school early in the morning."

Personally, I don't live on campus, so I have to get up extra early, so I can get a good parking spot and walk to class. It takes time out of your sleep schedule, unfortunately. The time you scheduled for sleeping always seems to be the one that gets cut into. It's really not healthy, but it seems to be the universal answer for college students who need extra time for something: sleep less.

"Homework."

Ah, homework. It takes up most of our time during the semester and can be a bit of a menace. But there's no escaping it. Better just to roll with it.

I generally have one main problem with the change of schedule that comes with school. Since I'm so busy, I hardly have any time to write. I always waste a lot of time during the summer when I could be working on one of my novels. Something about the start of the semester makes me want to buckle down and get some work done in one of my books. Usually, lack of time tries its best to prevent me, but it only makes me more determined to make time for writing.

But school certainly isn't all problems. There's a lot of fun involved as well. You get to see your friends on a regular basis again. There are plenty of fun things to learn. I have learned to enjoy the drive the school and the quiet of the campus when I get there in the morning. There's choir, theater and plenty of other enjoyable things to do. If you look for the silver lining, it's easy to find.

As a parting note, don't forget to take care of yourself when the semester starts. I know it's not easy, but try to make some time for getting proper sleep. Don't forget to eat, and don't just eat Ramen noodles or other junk food. Also, remember to check when your assignments will be due. I know from experience how very easy that is to forget.

Take care of yourself and enjoy the fall semester!