Junior year of college is a huge transition. You are finally among "the big kids," the upperclassman. You're not quite a kid anymore, but you're still figuring out how the hell to be an adult. You might be taking on internships, student teaching, or nursing clinicals on top of all your course work. Or maybe you're balancing a part-time job, a social life, and paying your bills. Junior year is one of your first real welcomes into "adult world," so let's turn to some of the most responsible adults we know to explain our struggle: The cast of the "Jersey Shore."
1. It's time to move back to school.
Being home was nice, but getting back to your usual routine of going to class, going out, and seeing your friends 24/7 is the perfect end to your summer.
2. Once you've unpacked and settled into your new room, it is time to reunite with the girls for some much needed catching up.
Squad time.
3. Finally you are reunited with your best friend.
Plan for plenty of laughing, wine drinking, boy stalking, and gossip from the summer.
4. Then you are off to your first day of classes.
Oh, boy.
5. The first party night of the semester rolls around.
And it is bound to be one for the books.
6. Junior year is a lot harder than you thought.
After the excitement of being back in school starts to wear off, and you are a couple weeks into the semester, you start to realize "Maybe I shouldn't have taken six classes this semester."
7. Before you know it, it seems like first semester is already coming to a close.
You realize you better get it together because finals are quickly approaching.
8. Once you've finished stu(dying) in the library for two weeks straight, you get to head home.
Time to catch up on some sleep and get ready for another semester.
9. You return to school after Christmas break totally ready to work your butt off in all your new classes.
Who knows, maybe you can score a 4.0 this semester?
10. As an upperclassman, you finally have the chance to take on a real internship.
You buy your first business causal outfit and get ready for the boardroom...or maybe just a lot of coffee runs. Don't you feel like the big adult on campus?
11. But then you start to realize... Second semester is twice as hard as the first one.
12. And you start to question how you will every be able to handle all of your work, a social life, and sleeping more than three hours a night.
What?
13. You often reminisce about the days of freshman year when everything seemed so simple.
Those were the days of gym, tan, laundry.
14. Basically you just feel like this for a few weeks.
Faceplant.
15. And before you know it finals are here...again.
What?!
16. You make it through and it's finally time to celebrate.
Fist pump.
17. Because you are finally a Senior!
Yeah!
18. After the much-needed celebration, you pack up your room and head home for the summer, not believing you only have one semester of college left.
Huh?
19. You say goodbye to all your friends, still recovering from the amount of homework and tests you just completed over the past few weeks.
Wipes tears.
20. Finally you get home and start counting down the days till you head back to school.
The countdown is on.
Junior year is one of the hardest in your college career. Between preparing to become a Senior, taking upper-level classes, and balancing your job/internship, this year has taught you a lot of lessons along the way. As you prepare to take on your final two semesters of college never forget all that hard work will pay off.
Oh, and that it is OK to stop and have a little fun with your friends every once and a while.
