Now that the summer is nearly over, the reality that it’s time to pack up and get in gear for the school year is beginning to hit most of us, if it hasn’t already. The emotions that we felt going back to school when we were young versus our feelings now as we go off to college aren’t too different; the only difference is the circumstances. Here are the back-to-school emotions as told by the cast of "Friends."
1. Shock
Realizing that you only have a few days left to pack up is always a rude awakening. For me, procrastination seems to be the most ideal until the eleventh hour when all I want to do is watch Netflix and put off the inevitable car ride the next morning.
2. Determination
We are all usually determined on the first week of school to try to get a regular sleep pattern going so that we have the energy and longevity to make it through the semester. However, as we get more and more work assigned during syllabus week and our friends want to hang out at night, something takes the back burner and it’s usually our determination to get a full eight hours of rest.
3. Excitement
The best part of returning to school after the summer is easily the fact that you get to see your closest friends again. Most of our friends tend to be from different states, so seeing each other in person over the summer is rare and we usually have to settle for texting or the occasional FaceTime date. The excitement that comes with knowing that you’ll be seeing your friends in person shortly is unparalleled.
4. Overwhelmed
Something that continues to overwhelm me is choosing what I’m going to wear every day. I had a dress code from elementary to high school and although I disliked it, it did make life easier because I only had to choose what color I’d wear as opposed to what style. Also, over the summer anything is fair play because there isn’t the same pressure to get creative with what you wear. When the school year begins, we suddenly have to put thought into what we wear and there are times when nothing seems to work and we are continuously changing our minds on what looks the best.
5. Dread
No one enjoys returning to school with the knowledge that they’re one short week away from being buried in course work again. I’m personally taking six courses this semester and I can already feel the dread rising at the prospect of all the reading and writing assignments that I’ll have to dig through each week.
6. Enthusiastic
If you’re an underclassman or are just becoming an upperclassman, you’re likely going to be living in a new building, so you’ll get to meet new people. One of the most exciting things is getting to know the people on your floor, especially if you develop a close-knit community where people enjoy hanging out in the common areas.
7. Relief
If you’re returning to college after the summer, there is always a feeling of relief knowing that you’re finally able to call the shots again. You once more have the power to answer to yourself and make the final judgment call on what you’re going to do, which is tough to relinquish when you return home and live under your parents’ roof.
8. Acceptance
One of the things you know that you’ll miss most while away at college is the food from home. After a week of dining hall food (unless you’re an upperclassman and are willing to cook after a long day of classes), you’ll begrudgingly count the days until you’ll return home for a nice home-cooked meal.
9. Antsy
Being away from school makes it harder to hang out with friends, especially if your high school friends are from different towns like mine. However, when you’re at school everyone is practically within arms reach, so when you return, you’re more than ready to hang out with friends on the first weekend back.
10. Eager
I know that when I return to school, I always look forward to the first night when my friends and I decide to order take-out. Even though it usually means that we’ve hit rock bottom with the dining hall, it’s so fun to gather around the TV and watch Netflix with junk food to help us forget about our course work, even if it’s only temporary.
11. Sadness
For most of us, myself included, returning to school brings a degree of sadness because we’ll miss our families, who we won’t see until the next break. I hate saying goodbye to my parents after the summer ends and it usually takes me a couple of days before I’m settled in and can talk to them on the phone without getting emotional.
It’s easy to get caught up in the whirlpool of emotions that accompany starting a new school year. However, it’s good to keep in mind that we all experience them and that the negative emotions are only temporary, while the positive ones tend to last the entire year.
