The new school year is just around the corner. For some of us, it’s already here. The last few days spent in the comfort of your own home are always interesting because going back to school can be a whirlwind of emotions. Here are some of the emotional phases I've been able to classify, as I've been experiencing them.

1. The “move-in day could not come soon enough!” phase:

The thought of living with your friends, doing whatever you want whenever you want, and opening up those new notebooks you just bought gives you butterflies. This phase comes in many different types. Sometimes it comes with dorm shopping and envisioning all of the cool things that you want to do to decorate your room. On the other hand, it might come with annoying things like your parents asking you to pick up a sibling from somewhere, or take out the trash. Whatever type of excitement you’re experiencing—you’re pumped.

2. The “but wait, what about my friends from home?” phase:

No matter how many plans you make to visit each other—you start to realize that you and your hometown friends won’t be able to hang out with just a phone call and a 3-minute drive. But hey—you can always look forward to visiting each other, and you love hosting friends and showing them the way around your super-cool campus.

3. The “wait, I actually have to do work and stuff…” phase:

Even if you had an internship or other sort of summer job that felt like the most strenuous things in the world—let’s face it; you still had plenty of responsibility-free time in between shifts and hours. Summer work is just a time-filling money supply, and we all know it. This phase is mostly recognized by feelings of shock, denial and panic. You’re not sure how you’re going to handle the course-load when classes

finally start—so you spend your time panicking about the first day of classes.

4. The “I’m going to crush this year” phase:

After the initial shock of thinking about schoolwork, difficult professors and 8 a.m. classes, you start to think about every organizational or prioritizing mistake you made last year. This is the phase where you start telling yourself what you can do right this year—regardless of whether you follow through in the end or not. In this phase you will start to feel excited again, with a dash of determination. This year will be yours.

5. The overwhelming “only a few hours until move-in” phase:

 

This is where all of the other phases come together. You’re excited, nervous, sad, but most of all: you’re overwhelmed. You run through checklists that have been already been checked, you’ve packed your things as efficiently as possible to minimize trips on the stairs during move-in, and you’re stressing over making sure you say goodbye to anyone and everyone. You know you don't have to stress about forgetting your dog and your bed—those are the two most important goodbyes.

In the end, the summer will eventually come to a close, and we will all reach move-in day. Whether you couldn't sit still or were dreading it, just remember: don't panic. This is your year.