Any college student, no matter their year, has a hectic first week back. There are so many different combinations of things that could happen, and the anxiety leading up to it can be overwhelming. Thus, it's very likely that so many of us have the same thoughts when it's finally time to head back to school. No matter if you dorm or commute, or whatever your position in life is, you likely think at least some of these things when school starts again.
"Am I in the right place?"
No matter how much time you've spent on your campus, you always have the internal fear that you may have gone to the wrong class. I know I looked at my schedule at least 12 times, just to make doubly sure that I went to the right room. Plus, depending on how many buildings your school has, you may as well be going to a whole new destination each semester. All college students have the fear of embarrassing themselves, and being in the wrong place is definitely at the top. I hope you all found your classrooms!
"How much time do I have?"
This could relate to a whole plethora of things. You could be talking about how much time you have in between your classes, how much time you have to get to class, or how long class is actually going to take. College is based around finding time for practically everything, and it becomes of the essence for every student. You always want to be on the lookout for ways to save time, and it certainly is a big lifesaver if you can develop good skills to handle your time. You don't want to be late for class because you got coffee!
"What should I do between classes?"
Perhaps the greatest conflict of college students is what they should be doing with their free time. Should you spend it reading your textbook? Doing work? Some other form of studying? Getting food? Can you use it as your leisure? It's hard to determine what exactly you SHOULD do when you don't have class, especially if you don't have free time when you are done with class for the day. And often, before you even know it, i's time for class! Thus it becomes key for any college student to use their time wisely, even if you are using it tor relax. Time you enjoyed wasting was not wasted time!
"What/where should I eat today?"
Food is perhaps the one driving force behind every college student. Every time you go back to school, limitless food possibilities open up to you, thus asking you the daily question of where your money should go for a meal. Should you go on or off campus? What kind of ethnic food do you want? How much are you willing to spend? Do you have time to eat before class starts? Deciding on food is a huge part of every college student's day, and thus, likely remains the most important question of all. After all, you cannot work well on an empty stomach!
"What will my classes be like?"
All college students have the fear that they will hate their classes. Picking out a schedule is stressful enough, and so is having to change it at the last minute. And even to that extent, you may end up disliking a class and not being able to change it whatsoever. But even just that, classes can be nothing like we expected. Our instructors can ignite a fire for a topic we would have never thought we would have liked, or completely change your opinion on something dear to you. The fact of the matter is, we never get what we truly expect when it comes to our classes, and sometimes we just have to live through that.
Now that the first week of school is over, many questions have been answered, but many also remain. As this semester goes on, we can only see what it will hold in store for us, and what new questions will arise. Here's to Fall 2016!
