Dear Friends of College Students,

As I wrap up week two of this semester, I realize there are things that I need to address, namely what this semester looks like for me, as well as others in my position.

This is my Junior year as an English major, and so most of you who know me already know the drill. In fact, most of you have done the drill or are currently doing the drill. However, there are some things I feel need to be said. There are two categories that I must speak to: the friends who are in college and the friends who are not.

To my friends who are in college,

I hardly need to mention to you what I'm going through. You are all too familiar with the late nights, tight schedules, mountains of work, and crippling costs. I don't have to tell you much. What I will tell you is that there are some things that we may not share exactly. If you are in another major, for instance, you may not know my exact plight.

Here are my requests for you. Please never say to me that I can't even imagine the workload you have. I can imagine it. Spoiler alert: I have it. "We're all in this together," as the great philosophers, Matthew Gerrard and Robbie Nevil, so eloquently put it. My English major is not always going to have the same workload as your Art major or your Theatre major. That is not to say that either of these majors are not serious majors; they are. They are just different kinds of work. You may have to learn a monologue, but I might have to write one. I ask you to understand this as we plod along this semester.

If you are a resident, please also understand that, as a commuter, I will not always be able to attend the same parties, events, and clubs as you, since I have to also factor in car time and gas. This does not mean I do not appreciate invitations, it simply means that I will not always be able to accept them due to such restraints. Finally, please understand that, if we are in two different majors, I will not always instantly understand your major. If you are a Math major, that is way outside of my range of comprehension. Please take this into account and don't give me the stinkeye if I don't instantly translate your Physics-speak. We're all on the same team here, so let's act like it. Even though we all might play different positions, no one's strengths are any greater than anyone else's; they're just different. We need all the players playing to their strengths in order to win the game.

Now, to my friends who are not in college,

I respect that you are all following your own paths. For some of you, this means starting a family, which is awesome. I am so proud of you and wish you the best. I hope to vicariously live through you by playing with your children since I won't be doing that whole song and dance myself for several years (and the bonus for me is I can always give your kids back). For some of you, this means you're starting your career, whether you finished college first or not, and, either way, this is also awesome. I am very jealous as I sit here, half brain-dead, pouring over my 50th chapter of my Creative Writing textbook, wishing I was done already with this whole school shebang and sitting where you are now.

However, I am still very much locked in Limbo, and there are things that I need you to know. There will be days when you will go to ask me a simple question and I will stare at you, uncomprehending, the maddening look in my eye perfectly complimenting my torn-out hair, my attitude ferocious. Please know that my anger is not directed at you, but at Microsoft Word for not prompting me to autosave and then crashing instantly, losing hours of writing. Bear with me; it's not you, it's me (and, by extension, Bill Gates. Thanks a ton, Bill).

There will be days when I want nothing more than to spend a day with you, whether that means horseback-riding, video gaming, or simply just spending time together doing absolutely nothing (which to me is the definition of paradise). Some of those days will be absolutely possible; most will not. Please understand that if I decline these wonderful times with you, it is not because I do not wish to engage in these activities with all my heart, but rather that I simply cannot breathe with the amount of work I'm possibly suffocating under. Always know that I would rather spend my time with you than with my five to six-page essay and my waning sanity.

I am blessed because I have friends who understand and respect these things. But I know that not everyone is as lucky as I am. So, I'm just throwing this out there as an open letter to all of you who have a friend still in college. Cut them some slack, give them some time. They will have time eventually. I promise. Trust me, your friendship is worth the wait.

Signed,

A Frazzled and Torn (but Grateful) College Student