For some reason, around the same time every semester, I start to feel the pressure of my classes. You’re probably either thinking, A.) What are you doing the rest of the semester, or B.) Literally everyone feels that way and you’re not special. Though when I say “feel the pressure of my classes,” I mean, crying loudly in the shower and waking up my hall-mates ‘feel the pressure,’ and I don’t remember where my apartment is because I’ve taken permanent residence on the silent study floor of my university’s library, ‘feel the pressure.’ Some people call this Hell Week, and others think of it simply as college, but for me this week is something much more important…
It’s the week before the end of the semester, and the week before summer.
Summer vacation isn’t really what it used to be because now I have real-person-adult responsibilities, including but not limited to, summer coursework, internships, and jobs. But summer still has that hazy glow and sunscreen smell sort of idealism associated with it. Every time I turn in my last final I feel a little lighter. Granted, I haven’t gotten the grade back on said final, and there’s still time to flunk out of college, but when the last exam block is over the long weekend starts. I basically start ignoring my responsibilities the second I walk out of the building.
Of course, even with all the weight of actual college lifted off of my overly stressed shoulders, there’s still time for panic. Most of my friends have fancy internships in New York City or Chicago and I, of course, am one of the few left in the area. Summer is weird now because your ‘best friends from home’ aren’t your best friends anymore and you realize they don’t really know you like your college friends know you. Because the person you were in high school isn’t the person you are at university. Old jokes aren’t funny anymore and going back to old hangout spots makes you look desperate for ‘the good old days.’ No one wants to be the person who still hangs out at high school hangouts getting drunk with the same three people, but summer has the dangerous potential of doing that to even the most well adjusted college kid.
It’s weird because all of your accomplishments stop mattering in the summer simply because your friends from home don’t understand your culture at college.
So my goal for the summer is to entirely avoid the ‘stuck in high school rut.’ I vow not to look at high school through rose colored glasses, and I vow to spend time with my family. I won’t let the stress of my three jobs overwhelm me like I let Hell Week overwhelm me. Summer isn’t the same as it was when we were ten,but summer is still has that hazy glow and sunscreen smell sort of idealism that we’ve all been infatuated with since grade school. I’m ready to take oversaturated Instagram photos from the top of a mountain, and I’m ready to see whichever friends that aren’t studying abroad in Italy.
However, my most important goal for the summer is to de-stress from the week, which is about to start for many of us: Hell Week (closely followed by finals.
Hang in there, friends.
