I'm writing this not just for you, fellow stressed college student - I'm writing it for me too.

Before anything, let me say this - there are definitely a lot more stressful things than being a college student. I try to tell myself that as a way of saying it could always be worse. I study military history, so I always tell myself, "Hey, man, put yourself in the shoes of any soldier through history. That's real stress." It makes me feel better, because it forces me to admit people have through bigger stuff than what's in front of me and they've made it out.

That said, it's foolish to deny that we as college students can be pretty damn stressed at times. Unless you're a complete slacker who never goes to class, goes out every night, and just wastes their time and money doing nothing, it's kind of hard to not be stressed out at some point through college. If you're doing it right, college isn't supposed to be easy. You're supposed to push yourself to higher and higher levels, and you're supposed to come out a stronger and more capable person on the other side. If you're making the most out of your education, you're going to put yourself through hell. On the way through that hell, though, it can be very easy to become overwhelmed and just feel like giving up.

I've been there recently. I'm a senior with two majors, in the honors college, enrolled in all 400-level courses, and writing a thesis that is expected to be about eighty pages when complete. On top of that, I'm an RA on campus, I devote time to a committee for Penn State's beloved THON, and I write here on Odyssey. I've got a hell of a lot going on. A couple weeks ago, I hit a breaking point. It was the night before I was supposed to meet with my thesis supervisor - he's a professor I've known and worked with since freshman year. He's a good and friendly teacher, but he's an eminent scholar in his field and expects results from those he works with. The night before I was to meet with him and show him what work I'd done so far, I sat staring at a blank screen. I'd had multiple papers due that week and had gotten very little sleep. I sat at my desk at 2:00 AM, surrounded by books and research papers, and I didn't even know where to start. I don't know if it was the lack of sleep or what, but I just collapsed. I don't think I've ever broken down like that before. I had no idea how I was going to make it through this year. My sleep schedule was sporadic, I was gaining weight, my blood pressure was high, and I was actually becoming concerned about my caffeine intake. I just didn't see a way through it.

The next morning, I told my supervisor everything. All the pressures, the way I just didn't feel like I could keep up, and just how damned scared I was of failing. I felt like my back was against the wall and if I fail now, I will be nothing. But what he said in response was a wisdom that I really needed to hear. He said, "Brandon, suppose you don't write this thesis. Suppose you don't graduate with honors. I'll be totally honest... so what? You're still a good person. You've got friends, a family, and a fiancee who all love you. You'll still graduate knowing you worked as hard as you could, and I'm not going to think anything less of you. No one will. You're going to be alright." Here was this guy who is a legit academic - like, writes big fancy books, travels to universities all over the country and gives lectures, and has won all sorts of awards - and he told me that as long as I give my all, nothing else matters. As long as I give my all, everything is going to be alright.

I'll admit, since then, things have still been tough. I've still been scared and uncertain of how I'm going to get through this. But I see something different in the end, and it's something I want to share with you guys.

Guys, no matter what, you will live. You will make it through this. It's really easy to view these years as deciding your life's fate. But the truth is, it doesn't. The only thing that determines your worth in the world is how tough you are and how hard you're willing to work. Put everything you've got into your work. Work with pride and work with honor. But if the result isn't what you hoped, it's not going to be the end of you. We've been told for so long that the only way we'll advance in life is through straight A's and distinguished honor roll. That's not true. The only way we advance in life is through our work ethic. If that gets us straight A's and distinguished honor roll along the way, that's great. But know that that is not the ultimate goal. The ultimate goal is to fight with all you've got, and as long as you can stand back when the fight's over and truthfully say that you put your whole heart and mind into it, that's all that matters.

Guys, no matter what your major is, no matter what you want to be or where you want to go, you're going to be alright. Even in the worst of cases, if you don't make it into the grad school or job that you wanted, what will you do? You will find a way. You will keep fighting and you will find a path through life, even if it's not the path you initially expected. Don't let the stress of finals, a thesis, a capstone, a project, or anything scare you to death.

Think of it this way. Think of every 'worst day ever' in your life. You know what you did at the end of that day? You went to sleep, got up the next morning, and kept living.

Go forward into finals week or whatever is in front of you with all the strength you've got. Work your ass off. But don't think for a second that any grade determines whether or not your life is a failure, because it doesn't. No matter what, you're gonna be alright.

Now get to work, kick ass, and live a good life.