Are your parents driving you crazy? Do you really miss your friends? Is summer starting to bore you? THAT’S when you know it’s really time to go back to UP. Hey, summer’s fun but four months is a long time to be away! Or maybe you wished summer could go on for just a little bit longer. In any case, we’re back in school now!
Transitions are tough and getting back into the grind of schoolwork’s especially challenging. We put pressure on ourselves right away. Starting school again is always stressful so we should cut ourselves some slack. It’s okay to retrain yourself how to study. Or to put yourself out there for meeting new people. You’ve been in a routine for the last four months where you could pretty much do whatever you wanted. (Aside from any job and/or internship you might have had.)
So, be kind to yourself. Everything will fall into place. You’ll eventually get the hang of doing homework every day again and you’ll become an expert at managing your new schedule. You can feel ready to start school but also not be ready for the hard work to resume. That was my case. I was ready to see my friends and to finally live off campus but I was nervous about the workload that senior year would bring. And I still am! However, I keep telling myself that I’ll get the hang of it and I’ve been right. Two weeks in and I’m much better at handling my school life than I was on the first day of classes. I will even be more of a pro when October rolls around!
What has helped me transition back into school is making time for my friends. Everyone is the same boat, you have to remember, and no one has figured it all out yet how they’re going to make it work. You can encourage your friends and they’ll do so for you as well.
There’s going to come a day, I believe, when we’ll miss the days at UP when we’ve all got our own adult jobs. So enjoy it! School’s fun when you’re learning something that interests you. Too bad we can’t just go to class and not have homework afterwards! Anyway, make the most of your year. I’m a senior and I definitely plan on making the most of this last special year before real, adult life starts! College will be over before you know it so cut yourself some slack, realize that it’s going to take an adjustment period before you’re totally comfortable again and have fun. Get ready to embrace all the challenges and joys that this year will throw at you.