Ok. We all know of this thing called “Senioritis” during our senior year of high school or college, but let me tell you something I’ve discovered called the “Freshman Freeze.”
Allow me to enlighten you.
There comes a point in Freshman year where you just stop doing things. You haven’t been home yet. You stop doing your homework because the semester is nearly over, or maybe you procrastinated too much and you tell yourself to just “deal with it later.” You hang out with your friends every night (because you love them, and they are definitely more entertaining than your 10-page research paper.) You push snooze on your alarm 10 times before finally getting up. You let your side of the room get thrust into cluttered chaos while your roommate kicks butt at being the most organized person in the world. Essentially, you get stuck in a funk you have no motivation to get out of.
While I never experienced “Senioritis,” my Freshman Freeze is wreaking utter havoc. I can make up a number of excuses as to why I waited till the last moment for that homework assignment or that article, but honestly, we all know Senioritis and Freshman Freeze is just a manifestation of procrastination and lack of motivation, and we’re too afraid to admit it.
Now, I can’t write a whole article saying that students are lazy without throwing myself into the pile. When I say I procrastinated…I PROCRASTINATED. I had some serious work to do if I wanted to save myself (and my grade) from my self-inflicted procrastination doom.
Staying up and seeing the sunrise is something everyone should do one in awhile, but no one should do it while writing an eight-page research paper due in 4 hours. Staying out of your room all day is something we all need to do more, except for me, because I was actually at the library for 11 hours. I’m just glad that Point Park has a pretty library and offers study rooms.
Week four through eight was my Freshman Freeze. During that time, I didn’t feel like doing anything and started second guessing everything: “Do I like my school?” “Do my friends like me?” “Do I actually like coffee?” After I start second guessing my love for coffee, you know something isn’t right. If you know me, you know I hate not having a drive. Having a drive, in my opinion, is what makes a student stand out. It’s the passion that an employer or professor can see and honestly, it’s what I liked most about myself.
For me, family was the catalyst for my drive, and I haven’t been home yet, so seeing my friends visit their homes actually hurt in a way. I was jealous they could see their home, their parents, their pets. While I could always text, call or FaceTime, it’s not the same and in a way, it felt as though I lost my family; It felt as though I was 2,000 miles away from my drive. In high school, when I was stressed out about an assignment, my mom would take me on a drive and we wouldn’t talk; we just listened to music and would drive, and drive, and drive. When I was sad, my dog and cat would curl up next to me.
Motivation is the best cure for the Freshman Freeze. It’s really the only way to get out of that stupid funk. My motivation is knowing I’m going home soon. I don’t want to go home and have nightmares of that class where I didn’t complete an assignment (which has happened before). So as we just got through midterms, I found my motivation and my drive has reappeared.
If you find yourself going through the Freshman Freeze, try to find things that will inspire you, get involved in activities so you aren’t slumped in your bed bingeing on Netflix eating kettle corn from four weeks ago.
So conclude that essay, finish that chapter of the one book no one wants to read, get out of your funk and kick butt in school! Remember, it’s what you and your parents are paying for.