I have reached that point in the semester where I am trying harder to get run over by a car than to focus on the all the projects that I have become swamped with. One of my favorite things about this time of year is that it reminds how much I've already gone through. I remember that I have been here once before and I'll probably be completely stressed in the future as well but I find comfort in knowing that each time gets easier.
Two years ago, I was a scared freshman who was worried more about the financial side of things instead of the social. I worked my butt off and got phenomenal grades while also working close to 40 hours a week. To say the least, I was miserable. I hadn't really made a whole lot of new friends. The friends I had throughout high school had left for college out of the city making it hard to visit them or even text them on a regular basis because they were out having fun and living life. Although my grades may have been great and I may have made (and saved) a bunch of money, I knew this was not what I wanted the rest of my college experience to be like. In high school I was involved with so many different activities and to not be involved with anything other than attending class was just torture. Something had to change.
This time last year, I was finally starting to open up. I had joined a couple groups and I finally started to make friends that I had skipped out on freshmen year. Even though things were getting better, I had to learn how to manage everything. I had to learn how to give and take. I thought it'd be a walk in the park since I had done it all throughout high school, but it was not so easy.
In case you didn't already know, college demands more of your time than high school. Everything seems amplified. Is it doable? Yes. Is it difficult? OOHHH YEAH. I had to find that middle ground with balancing school, work, and extra curricular activities and oh boy, did I struggle at first.
Fast forward to now. I leave for Tampa, Florida here soon to take on CEO Nationals, Homecoming festivities start this week and flow into the next, each class I'm in has a group and an individual project due here within the next month, and I'm still trying to stay on top of all the necessary activities I need for my organizations. It's not easy, but it's fun and I am slowly finding that necessary balance every college student struggles with.
Although I still haven't necessarily found the magic formula, my advice to every college student is hang in there. Take a deep breath. Know that you are not alone in the struggles you are facing and there are people out there who truly do care about you. Things will only get easier as time goes on because you will become more wise. (Hard to believe I know.) Practice makes perfect right? Don't let your mistakes bring you down, instead use them to better yourself and keep going. Life's too short to worry all the time, take a step back, realize how far you've come, chug some caffeine, and conquer the world.
