As much as we may try to avoid thinking about it, the beginning of the school year is right around the corner. For many of us this means trading in fun in the sun for studying in the library. Personally, my head begins to spin a little when I think about all of the stress and exhaustion that comes with another semester of school. So, while going back to school isn’t the most fun, Leslie Knope gets it:
Once we get into the nitty-gritty of the school year, it’s not uncommon to be hard on ourselves and feel our confidence waver. “Why didn’t I study more for that exam?” “Why didn’t I start this essay sooner?” When we start to have doubts like this, it’s important for us to remind ourselves how awesome we truly are. We are in school and working and trying to balance everything, it’s a lot. However, as Leslie says, we are glorious warriors and we will get through it.
Another fun part of classes starting back up is the frustration that comes with classmates who are just on completely different wavelengths than you. While college is great because you get to meet and have discussions with people from different backgrounds than you and with different opinions, sometimes you come across someone who you just can’t come to an agreement with. As much as we may try to have a mature, sophisticated debate, sometimes we just get to the point where we want to say, “You’re ridiculous.”
On the other hand, we also may get super lucky and come across someone in our class who just gets us. Whether it’s making sarcastic comments together, or being equally passionate about the same topic in class, it’s nice to find someone in class who clicks with you. They can be your go-to for group projects, a study partner, or at the very least just somebody to talk to to help pass the time in long classes.
With a combination of little sleep, long hours in the library, and stressful homework and projects, it’s not unheard of for college students to be a bit…on edge every once in a while. The longer the semester goes on, the more likely it is for me to be especially short with friends. Though we may try to deny it, we all get a little cranky as a result of school.
While the school year often means some sleep deprivation, every once in a while we get lucky enough to have a full night’s sleep, or a surprise nap break during our busy days. As glorious as these rare sleep gifts are, they can almost leave us disoriented as we try to adjust to life without feeling like we could pass out at a library table at any moment.
Yes, we will all miss summer, and school does come with its fair share of challenges, but at least we’re all going through it together. For now, I guess we should just enjoy the last couple weeks of summer and get all the sleep we can.
