We are in the midst of finals. Essays, exams, and presentations galore contribute to the overwhelming sense of anxiety and the lack of sleep myself and many of my peers face. Despite all of the good things college has to offer, it truly does take a toll on your mental well being. So I want you to stop, and give yourself a round of applause for being a modern day college student.
We bust our butts. I don't know about the rest of you, but I work 40 hours a week while taking a full course load at school, and I still manage to pull pretty decent grades. On top of that, we are expected to do other things that will round out our resumes. Volunteering, research opportunities and various organizations ensure two things: We are going to look awesome on graduate school and job applications, and we have essentially no time to ourselves.
My birthday is on Tuesday, the Tuesday of finals week. Pretty poorly timed if you ask me. This past Friday we had our family celebration and this is what my day looked like: I woke up at 8 a.m. and put about an hour of work into a term paper. I then went to work for eight hours, not making it home until close to 7 p.m. By the time I had arrived home, my family was already gathered to eat dinner and to celebrate my birthday. Once they all left, I worked on my essay some more before finally falling into bed around midnight. That's essentially what my life looks like on a daily basis: School, work, and trying to squeeze in some semblance of a social life. And I know I'm not the only one. Nearly every college student I know has their days planned out to the minute. Sleep schedules, mental health, social lives and school/job performance often suffer.
Now, please don't get me wrong. I don't want this to sound like I'm just complaining about my life. I am so grateful for the opportunities I've been given. College education is a privilege not afforded to many. I'm thrilled to be able-bodied which allows me to work and transport myself from place to place. I'm glad I have people in my life who love me, which forces me to try to get face-to-face time in with a friend over a quick cup of coffee.
All I'm saying, is that I'm proud of us. I am proud of myself and my fellow students and peers. We are all doing our very best to succeed in life, even if that means being crazy busy 90% of the time. As you enter finals week, openly weeping and ready to give up on all of your responsibilities, just remember how far you've come. Whether this is your first year of college or your 6th, you have managed to make it through. It is difficult to have so many balls in the air at once, but you're going to come out so much better on the other side. You're doing the best you can, and that's all that anyone can ask of you.
