The first few weeks back on campus hit me like a ton of bricks. With a 19-credit semester and a huge switch in my major, I was excited to start my new journey, yet fearful that I wouldn't be able to handle the workload.

It was about week three when I realized that this semester was certainly not going to be a walk in the park. I was flooded with endless activities, homework assignments, papers, and group projects. I just couldn't seem to get a grasp on my workload and create some type of well-organized schedule.

Stressed, worried, and confused, I began to panic.

After sitting in class all day, I'd find myself in the library for almost the same amount of time I was in classes. As soon as it seemed like I finally caught up with my workload, I'd wake up and go to another day of classes and feel as if I was drowning in work all over again.

As all Communication Studies majors know, our department focuses on way more than just simple in-class activities, papers, and exams.

You're diving into some extensive research and applying what you have learned in class to the people you encounter in everyday life. A majority of the work is expected to be done outside of class, and typically, professors assign a lot of group research–meaning that you have to squeeze in regular group meetings on top of everything else on your plate.

Currently, midterms have arrived, and I have finally seemed to settle into my course load. I have found that it really allowed and helped me to grow as not only a student, but as a person.

I am no longer panicking over countless assignments and have finally gotten a feel for what works best for both myself and my schedule. If you told me a month ago that I'd feel this comfortable and confident in my schooling, I'd most likely laugh, thinking that it was a complete and utter joke.

I have found that when I face hard situations, I always seem to come out of the experience a better, stronger, and more knowledgeable version of myself. I truly don't think that we, as Comm majors, give ourselves enough credit for all that we do. I have found that the more you put on your plate, the more you seem to be able to manage.

Today, I found myself thinking such incredible thoughts in the middle of a group meeting. There was an enormous smile on my face as my group members and I successfully practiced our research presentation. Everything just seemed to click and it finally hit me that this is exactly where I am supposed to be.

To the Communication Studies major who feels like they're endlessly drowning, don't give up.

Keep pushing. I promise you, it will be worth it.