It’s still summer, I know. We’ve still got a small handful of weeks left before we have to start packing. You’re starting to think about college a little bit more, now that you have to stare mindlessly at the endless Target back to school commercials. But is this semester going to be different? Are you trying to work harder, make more friends, or study more? Or is this just another round of same ol’ same old?
As for me, a rising junior, I have to start thinking about the two internships and on-campus job I’ll be doing this coming semester. Not only that, but I’ll have to rigorously review an entire semester’s worth of German in order to prepare for my unexpected jump to the 301 level before school starts. But enough about my situation.
You could say this really depends on what year you’re going into.
Incoming freshman.
You lucky duck. You’ll soon be surrounded by fresh new faces, prospectively exciting classes and sunny dispositions. How could you not be ecstatic? College will be awesome. You hope. But here are some things you should/will probably think about.
What are you going to bring? This may be the first time you leave the nest and settle your ass into a dorm room. So guess what? You learn the hard way whether it was a good idea to bring those six sets of drawers or those 12 decorative pillows. Why would you need 12?
How much time are you going to allocate for studying? It’ll probably be nowhere near what you’re envisioning right now. Too many social groups to try to fit into, or games to play.
And is the freshman 15 a real thing? Yes. Yes it is.
Incoming sophomore.
Rest assured, you know what you’re doing this time around. How many clothes to bring, how many posters to display, etc. You’re not as concerned about ‘aesthetics’ as you are with focusing more on academics. You might not have found that internship or gotten into that core class before it filled up, but you’re not stressing it too much. If you weren’t getting serious freshman year, you probably are now.
You may also acknowledge what kind of lifestyle college demands of you, and how much work you need to put in, so you’re carefully calculating how much time you can spend playing games/going to parties/watching Netflix/drinking/partaking.
Incoming junior.
Ok, this is where you need to start getting your shit together if you haven’t already. You see friends and classmates landing internships left and right, and you have to remind yourself that college is already halfway over (for most people). You hope that the major you’ve dedicated yourself to will be the right fit for you in the end; to turn back and start over now would cause a big crunch for time and money.
Are you also starting to plan out life after college? Maybe. It’s still another two years at least, but there’s no harm in setting long term goals. That’s what college is all about, right?
Incoming senior/super senior.
This is it! You want this to be your last year at this college. You’re experienced, involved and surrounded by people you know. You’ve heard people claim senior year is the easiest, but you’ve also heard people claim it’ll be the most stressful shit you’ve experienced. Jeez, it seems the only thing you have going for you is your ability to drink legally.
It’s your life, your career, your future ahead of you. No biggie. But you’re forced to accept the fact that soon, you’ll be leaving the campus that you’ve come to love. So many memories and friendships have formed here. You want to get the hell out, but at the same time you’re afraid to go out into the big, adult world where there are no more meal plans or academic advisors.
You also need to think about serious money. Moolah, dough, the big bucks. Enough money to live on your own and pay your own bills, because you can’t live with your parents forever. You worry whether your job will provide enough for you or the people you love. Life’s tough, but it’s there for the taking.
So, which one are you?
