As Emory girls undergo post-recruitment recovery, we might start to notice the toll these two weeks took on our bodies, beyond merely not feeling well, but becoming full-on sick (cough, cough- the flu [pun intended]). I wish I knew better coming into Emory that being sick at college is a totally different experience to being sick in high school.
It wasn’t until being sick in college that I realized how much I actually liked being sick in high school. Your mom takes care of you, your food is brought to your bedside, and because of that, you don’t have to withstand a single minute in the cold outside world. You’re encouraged to stay home from school. All your teachers are automatically informed after one call to the school nurse and they are obligated to help you catch up with understanding. Endless TV shows and movies, catching up on much-needed sleep, what could be better (besides not being sick in the first place)!?
When you’re in college, not only are you getting sick more frequently, but you also have less support (and become slighty more dramatic). In college, professors don’t pity you for being sick. In fact, they usually assume you’re lying, making an excuse to get out of class. It is entirely up to you to stay caught up. You should expect nothing from your professors. You will inevitably be behind, no matter how organized your efforts are, because, unlike high school teachers, college professors can hold you accountable for things they say in class, but never explicitly write down. On the other hand, pushing yourself to go to class when you’re sick can sometimes be even worse. Being that girl who’s is aggressively coughing, making everyone stare in a dead silent lecture can be more mortifying than it sounds. It’s a lose-lose situation.
Feeding yourself is another challenge. You can’t go to the dining hall with a friend because they don’t want to catch whatever you have. You don’t want to go out to pick up something at Chipotle, because of the cold walk to get there, potentially making you even worse off. Your only option is delivery, which really adds up, both in terms of money and garbage in your room to clean up, which you have zero energy to do. The struggle could not be more real. Enough complaining- here’s how you deal before and after getting sick:
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BEFORE YOU GET SICK: PREVENTION
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Purell = Bae
Be the mom of your group of friends! The super hero at the dinner table is always the one who’s carrying Purrell in her bag. Apply it whenever you’re bored and need something to do with your hands other than pretending that you’re texting.
The College Hookup Culture Strikes Again
If the college hookup culture wasn’t bad enough already, here’s another reason to hate it even more! Exchanging germs in such close proximity makes catching a sickness easier than ever before. Make smart decisions!
FOMO < Health
Don’t let the FOMO win over your health. We often take on more than we can actually handle, whether it’s staying up for all nighters to do work or going out when we weren’t feeling well because all our friends were. You can’t have your cake and eat it too.
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AFTER YOU GET SICK: TREATMENT
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Your Handy, Dandy Emergency Sick Girl Survival Kit
Is your emergency sick kit ready to go at a moment’s notice? You should never not have on you:
- A thermometer
- Advil (both for headaches and fever reducing)
- Tissues
- Gatorade and/or Water
- Menus of Your Favorite Places that Deliver
- Contact list of Clinics/Doctors on or near campus
You should not have to worry about obtaining any of these once you’re already bed-ridden. They should be ready to go!
Recruit a Team of Loyal Helpers
Don’t feel sorry for yourself– recruit a team of helpful friends. They are busy and have their own lives, so you need multiple sources to rely on, not just your roommate.
Putting the Emory Health Clinic to Good Use
The Emory Health Clinic is supposed to be the cure, but sometimes ends up making things worse. There are long waits and seemingly endless staircases. While I feel like I can go elsewhere to be treated, like the CVS minute clinic, the Emory Health Clinic is still a necessary stop for sending out valid doctor’s notes that you can e-mail to your professors.
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With on point expectations and resourceful tips, you can easily avoid the post-recruitment plague. Take care of yourselves!