Everyone knows that the first day of school is a joke. Every teacher goes over their rules and expectations, hands out so many pieces of paper that students eventually lose, and basically wastes an entire class period talking about meaningless syllabi. Or at least, that’s the way it goes at most schools.

Syllabus week at Millsaps College does not exist. For the average class at Millsaps, a week before class begins, professors have already emailed students their syllabi and gone over their class expectations with the click of a button. Although most students aren’t even on campus yet, they already have assignments due the first or second day of class. Showing up on Monday at 8 AM isn’t a formality anymore. It is the beginning of a very stressful semester that already feels overwhelming.

I like to think that I am a pretty organized person so, in preparation for the 2016-2017 school year, I bought a large daily planner and a pack of 16 colored PaperMate felt pens. Each activity, class, and job is assigned a color and recorded in a book filled with inspiration quotes such as “If your dreams don’t scare you, they aren’t big enough” and “Life’s a party. Don’t forget to bring the cake!” Yet even with the bright colors and decorative pages, the newness of school hasn’t been enough to overpower the sheer stress overload that comes with the beginning of a new semester.

Typically, I am very excited about starting school, but this year I am feeling very overwhelmed. I think it is because I have already scheduled so many things and I am not easing myself back into the routine of Millsaps life like I did last year. School starts tomorrow and I already have filled so many pages in my planner with my multicolored agenda. The little box dated Monday, August 22 already contains six different colored events and Tuesday has five more. You would think a rainbow day would be a good thing, but my brain has somehow turned pink, blue, and green words on a page to the most stressful thing since finals exams last year. One color in particular has me stressed more than any of the others. The bright Easter orange that signifies...Principles of Economics 1000. I received the email with the syllabus and first assignment over a week ago, and I have been avoiding opening the attachments. Today, I sat down on my bed with my laptop, planner, and orange pen and got to work filling in my calendar with due dates.

This year I will be taking 16 credit hours, working four jobs on campus, playing softball, and hosting Panhellenic recruitment with my sorority sisters. When I read over the syllabus for Econ 1000, I nearly cried just because of how far behind I already feel when nothing has even begun. My “syllabus week” will probably consist of two mental breakdowns, four crying ice cream sessions, six nights up after 1:00 a.m., and at least one phone call to my Mom. If I knew it wouldn’t stress me out more, and I had enough colors, I would plan those things out, too.

Whether I like it or not, school is starting and this year it is going to be busier than ever. It’s enough to make me miss those summer days when I was bored and lonely and couldn’t wait to get back to Jackson.