For most college students, syllabus week is one of the best weeks of every semester. It’s the first week back from break, which means being reunited with friends and starting new classes. And new classes means little to no homework for the first week, allowing for a beautiful seven days of catching up with friends and enjoying being back on campus without the stresses of exams and projects. However, as a sophomore, classes are getting harder, work is piling up, syllabus week isn’t exactly what I had expected it to be and I’m left facing the realities.
Expectation: You’ll get back on campus and immediately unpack all of your stuff.
You’ll open the door to your dorm, share a reunited hug with your roommate and get straight to unpacking. It’ll only take about a half hour because you’re super organized and focused. After you’re done you’ll have plenty of time to visit all of your friends, go to the gym and grab dinner.
Reality: You’ll dump out your bags onto your bed, forming a mountain of clothes, and proceed to sit in it until you finally work up the energy to put them away.
Mt. Machine Washables will stay on your bed for most of the day, until your roommate quietly hints that you should start putting everything away. It’ll take at least five hours to complete. Not including snack breaks.
Expectation: You’ll find all of your classes right away.
I mean, you’ve done this before so you’ll be fine, right?
Reality: You’ll get lost at least once while trying to get to class.
You’ve never even heard of the building listed on your schedule.
Expectation: Your classes will be super short.
You’ll walk in, grab a seat and wait for your professor to pass out the syllabus. They’ll read over it, open the floor to questions and send you on your way.
Reality: Your professor will teach a full lecture on the first day.
Not only will you go over the syllabus in detail, your professor will then begin teaching for the rest of class. Did they not get the memo? No one lectures on the first day. So much for a 20-minute class.
Expectation: You won’t have any homework.
Because your teachers haven’t even taught anything right? You’ll be homework free with plenty of time for Netflix, going to the gym and going out with friends. This is the life.
Reality: You’ll be slammed with work by the end of the first day of classes.
How is there already a paper due in this class? We’ve barely even learned anything. This is unreal.
Expectation: You’ll have time to meet up with all of your friends on campus.
You’ll spend your days catching up with everyone you didn’t see over break, and it’ll be really convenient for everyone to meet up!
Reality: So. Many. Rainchecks.
It seems like everyone has a busy schedule this semester, causing more plans to be postponed than you were prepared for.
Expectation: You’ll go to a ton of really good parties all week.
Frats, sports houses, random apartments: everyone’s throwing syllabus week bangers. And with no homework you’ll be able to go to all of them!
Reality: You’ll stay in and play Monopoly all night.
Or maybe that’s just my roommates.
