Fellow students: It's November. Besides the indication of this on your calendars, agendas, and phones, I'm guessing there is an exhaustion meter going off in your body indicating the month. I know mine is.
Turns out, if you are anything like me, my mind and body are officially fried. I've been working, studying, going to school and participating in club events. I've rarely had the opportunity to participate in activities that I enjoy for fun, because when I get home, my pillow is my greatest friend. In fact, someone inviting me to do something fun immediately makes me question how much sleep time it will take away from me.
For those readers who don't understand the schedule of a dedicated college student, her is an example of a day in the life of a college senior:
6:30 AM: Alarm goes off, hit snooze, because habits are hard to break.
6:45 AM: Begrudgingly wake up so you can give the roommates ample amount of time to get ready themselves.
6:55 AM: (Yeah, I'm a fast showerer). Out of the shower, turn on the radio so you don't talk yourself into going back to bed. Get dressed, do your hair and makeup.
7:05 AM: Rummage for something to eat. Check emails, school calendar, personal calendar, and social media.
7:45 AM: Head off to work for 5 hours.
1:00 PM: Club meeting.
2:00 PM: Internship meeting.
3-4:00 PM: Let's try and practice our civic duties by voting. Also, make phone calls for job number 2.
4-6:00 PM: Internship meetings.
6-7:30 PM: Pilates class, because if your grade isn't required on you going, you aren't going to make it.
7:45 PM: Dinner. Study, you have an exam this week for a general ed credit that you despise increasingly more each day.
9:00 PM: Socialize with the roommates/Netflix/make edits to your calendar. Double check that all of your assignments and expectations are due.
11:00 PM: Sleep. That is of course if you haven't already passed out.
I don't provide this information in an effort to get pity. Nor do I say these things to get a response of, "Welcome to the real world". No, I say this because I think there is a great misconception about the college student. Yes, your first couple of years are pretty easy. However, if you're a student much like myself, school is serious. School is not a three or four hour academic appointment. School is a full time job that will pay off eventually, but currently I'm incurring debt doing it.
Let me be clear, I am beyond proud of myself for going to school and getting a degree. But let's be real: it's exhausting. November is when my motivation tanks. Fall break is what gets me through everyday. I can't wait to see my family, eat some home cooked family dishes, take my family dog for a walk. I miss these things very much, and cannot wait to take advantage of the for 5 days.
There is sometimes minimization of students' hard work, at any grade level.I get it, not all of us work 40+ hours a week. However, we work our butts off for the increasingly difficult expectations of academic life. And just like everyone else, we need a break sometimes.
