It's stressful starting a new semester. You haven't opened a textbook in months, it's been a while since you have seen the inside of a library, and you have to find a way to get back into your normal school routine. Many thoughts may be going through your head during the first week back.
1. Will I enjoy my classes?
The first day of a new class can make you very anxious. The class may have seemed interesting from the online description, but its not until the first day where you get a feel for how the professor is going to be and if you can see yourself truly enjoying it. You may end needing to swap it for something different, therefore adding the stress of altering your schedule, or you may end up being very happy with it.
2. I finally have friends again!!!
School vacation can become pretty boring when you aren't constantly surrounded by your friends, and especially if you go a school like mine, in which, winter break lasts 3 weeks longer than all of your home friends'. Once all your friends go back to school, all you can think about is reuniting with your college friends. Despite dreading the incoming workload that you are about to receive, you are thrilled to be back at school after not seeing your friends for a while.
3. Will I know people in my classes?
Nothing's more nerve-wracking than walking into your 300 person lecture hall and looking into the crowd, trying to find a familiar face. It's always nice to have a friend in class with you to be your study buddy, but sometimes it takes a little bit of effort to figure out if you know anybody, especially if you attend a big school with big lectures.
4. What will the exams be like in my classes?
The first exam in each class is always very stressful. You are unfamiliar with how in depth the professor will get with the questions and what the format of the exams are. You will question how much time and effort you need to put into preparing for the exam, because you haven't yet experienced what they are like in the new class. Once the first exam goes by, most people feel a lot more confident going into the next few exams.
5. Will I be living in the library this semester?
If your semester is anything like my previous ones, you soon will be hitting the books in your favorite cubicle at the library. The amount of time spent at the library obviously depends on the semester's workload, so you are trying to get a feel for your classes to get an idea of how much time you will need to spend studying. This can be a scary thought!
6. Will I make it through syllabus week?
I'm sure many people can agree that syllabus week is very exciting. Classes have just begun and you aren't drowning in homework quite yet. Everyone want's to go out with their friends and enjoy themselves before they have too much studying to do each night. You are so excited to be back with all of your friends and to go out and have a good time, but you also don't want to wear yourself out this early on in the semester. This gets you thinking about the balance that will need to be achieved between your studies, your social life, and also throwing in some time to rest and relax.
Its common for these thoughts to be circling through your head, but once you get more settled in back at school, you are bound to fall back into your normal routines and everything will be a lot more clear and smooth.
