Fall semester: a glorious time for any collegiate student where the world is at your fingertips. You’re one year older, (hopefully) one year wiser, and the potential of a straight A semester is actually within reach! It’s a liberating time, filled with promise and endless possibilities…until you wake up one morning and realize you’ve slept through your 8am final.

If you’re like me, you like to think ahead. Make plans. Dreaming big is second nature and the journey towards reaching your goals is half the fun of getting there. Something I didn’t plan, however, is essentially crashing and burning this semester. Or becoming a newfound Belieber.

I know what you’re thinking: this article just lost ANY credibility it might’ve had before that last sentence.

But it’s the honest truth! As I found myself thinking up wild excuses to not attend my 3-hour Civics lecture, or procrastinating until the night before an exam to learn what Accounting actually even is, I also found Justin. And dang, we had a lot catching up to do.

Somehow this former tween idol turned harrowing Hollywood hooligan had blossomed into a refined musician, right below our unsuspecting noses! And I was a woman obsessed. I scoured the web (instead of studying, obviously), watching every funny video, late-night interview, and reading whatever articles I could find about Bieber 2.0.

How did I make it to 20 years without ever once giving him a chance? How did he so unceremoniously transform into such fascinating creature? But most importantly, how the heck did he make such a huge comeback from his “transitional phase,” so gracefully?

I’ve been going through my “transitional phase,” throughout my entire collegiate experience so far. And shockingly, my experiences didn’t seem to play out as smoothly as Justin’s. Classes got significantly harder, the assignments began to pile up, and naps became my new best friend.

But Justin forced me to reevaluate my priorities. And suddenly, I found my lost motivation. As the last few weeks of the semester rolled by, I cranked out those A’s I had originally promised myself: just me, my espresso, and Justin’s new album.

Now with finals wrapping up, and the holidays right around the corner, I find myself extremely appreciate of Justin Bieber’s sudden influence on my life. I’ve learned that it is perfectly acceptable to mess up miserably, as long as you learn from your mistakes and have a plan to move forward. If Justin could make a comeback, I can too…in the Spring Semester.

I’ve found a purpose again.