Whether you hit snooze a few too many times, slept straight through your alarm, or just completely forgot to set it last night, you definitely woke up later than you should have, and you can feel the panic begin to set in.
Going to class late always involves a cost-benefit analysis. Within a matter of seconds, your sleepy mind weighs the pros and cons of rushing to class late versus cutting your losses and going back to sleep. How late are you going to be? If you're missing more than half of the class, why bother? But fashionably late is excusable, right?
It definitely felt comfortable when you went to bed last night. But now, you could swear it's like the arctic tundra in here. It was hard enough to leave your warm, cozy bed without the threat of hypothermia when your feet hit the floor.
You realize that this is the third time this week that you've been late to your 9 AM. Will you get points taken off if you miss class today? Or is your professor the type that will count you as absent if you're not there the minute that class starts? The temptation to skip is getting stronger, but you will do anything to save your grade.
Picking out clothes, getting dressed...it all takes so much time, and every second counts when you're already running late.
The situation is dire, and you need to prioritize. Can you spare the time for a quick brush? Will you be talking to other humans in this class? If you're really in a rush, then gum will have to work until after class.
...you realize with a pang of dread. Is there time to finish? If it's reading, you promise yourself you'll skim it later. If it just needs to be printed, you hurriedly turn on the printer and pray it doesn't jam or run out of ink. If it's half-done (or less), you hope to goodness that the fact that you're there at all will make up for it.
The climate here is so unpredictable! Do you need your winter coat? Your rain boots? Your umbrella? Or will it be sunny and warm enough to make you sweaty by lunchtime? Hopefully you have time to wait for your weather app's forecast to load; otherwise, you decide to wing it and hope for the best.
Odds are it won't be. Don't wait for it. Just don't.
You gently ease the door closed behind you so it doesn't make an earth-shattering slamming sound that alerts everyone to your tardiness. You decide to leave your coat on to avoid making a scene of unzipping it and taking it off.
Because why would any of these selfish jerks make the logical, polite choice to sit in the middle and leave space on the aisle for latecomers? Seriously, these people who show up on time should really learn some manners!
They must think you don't care about this class. They must wonder why you don't prioritize their lectures enough to manage your time better in the mornings. Isn't learning more valuable than sleep? Repentant for your repeated failures, you silently berate yourself for disappointing them again, not realizing that they probably completely understand and don't give your occasional tardiness a second thought.
You silently vow to be early to every lecture for the rest of the semester so you can sit in the front and demonstrate your dedication to your professor and prove you're not the lazy idiot you think they think you are (even if you did hit snooze ten times this morning).
Like most jobs, it has its perks and its downfalls, but working in a call center is truly something you can't understand until you've done it. Here are some things call center workers know better than anyone else.
I was so nervous for the first call I ever made and everyone told me not to worry--it would probably go to voicemail, but of course, they answered and I was an awkward bumbling mess.
I don't know if people think this takes them off a spam caller's list or something, but answering the phone and not saying anything kind of means we're going to keep calling you...forever.
I haven't run into this myself yet, but sometimes you call a number and ask for someone and the only answer you get is "They passed away." I can assure you I will have no idea what to say the first time this happens to me.
There's no way to explain it. You can come into the calling center fully rested and an hour in it will feel like you've been there for 18 years without a nap.
"Hi my name is Nikki calling from Susquehanna Uni--"
*click*
"Now isn't a good time. I'm at the gym training for a marathon, my husband's cousins son-in-law has cancer, we just bought a new house, and student loans, am I right?"
I've heard literally everything on people's voicemails while calling. Keep in mind that people actually hear the messages you record.
I can't leave you a message so you know to continue ignoring my calls if you don't clean out your voicemail every now and then.
And some people get really offended when you mess it up.
I've had nights where every person who answered the phone seemed thoroughly offended that I was calling them.
Shout out to all the parents and alumni who sympathize, answer the phone, and have nice conversations even if they don't have money to give. A nice conversation can turn our entire night around. Kindness goes such a long way.
It's also the perfect opportunity to plan your daily naps for the semester.
...and for the week you say "what's a diet?"
And then theres always that one person who's just a little too excited about them.
Your friends always seem to be making fun, impromptu plans and everyone is invited. But you won’t be there because you’ll be stuck on desk duty while everyone else is out having a good time.
This is usually the quality of your results.
You never catch a break! In Residence Life, we don’t find incidents. Incidents find us.
It was bad enough that you just stayed up until 4 a.m. handling an incident with campus police. Now you must write and submit a report about it, even though you can barely remember your own name at this hour.
This was supposed to be a fun night. And now I have to leave because we are now violating my contract policy.
…And everything to do with the chance of writing an incident report afterward.
Even when the semester starts, the training never ends.
1. Your thesis sounds scary and far off when you are a freshman, then gets very real your junior year.
As part of the requirements to graduate with honors, you need to complete a thesis in your major. This can be anything from a research paper, to a service project, to some sort of creative endeavor. I have seen theses that are a whole novel, and some that are literally two pages long. Entering as a freshman, I decided it was better for my mental stability to not think of that daunting project. Yet now, as a rising junior, I am realizing that I cannot escape it. So, if any of you have social work thesis ideas, send them my way. I am not kidding.
2. That you director is actually your college parent.
A unique relationship forms between an honors students and their program director. This is the person who you can talk and know that they will not judge you, for they have literally seen everything. They will advocate for you like no one else and make sure to help you in any way possible. And of course, when it’s time for you to finally graduate, even if it took six years, they will push you out of the nest and watch you fly. My director, Joanna, even refers to herself as “honors mom”. Directors are truly special in every honors student’s heart.
3. Your thesis advisor is your second college parent.
If your director is your first parent, then your advisor has to be the second. They are the professor who guides you through this academic quest. Some hand hold and help you, while others let you sink or swim, just like real parents.
4. Double, triple, or quadruple majoring is the norm, not the exception.
As a social work major with a Spanish minor, I am considered abnormal in the program for I only have one major and one minor. The number of people I know with more than one major, and more than one minor, is staggering. I honestly do not know how they do it on top of completely the honors curriculum. The best part is most graduate within four years.
5. Taking more than five classes in a semester is also the norm.
Honors students have special permission from the department to take 22 credits a semester, as opposed to the normal 18. The number is students who do this is mind blowing. It helps them complete their multiple majors and minors on time or it helps them graduate early. As you can see, us honors kids are over achievers.
6. The lounge is a 24/7 haven.
Part of the perks of being an SSU honors student is usage of the honors lounge, located in the library. It is a quiet, comfy little room with water, coffee, and snacks. Think of the Hufflepuff common room but filled with Ravenclaws. On the average day, you can see students doing homework, talking to other honors students, or taking a quick nap between classes. It is also a place where commuters and residents can actually be together, which is a rarity. For a lot of us, it is a home away from home. One student even keeps a pillow in here.
7. Registration morning means preparing for a Hunger Games style battle.
Yes we get early registration, but that does not mean it goes smoothly. Due to the fact we are the first group of students to go, we always have to deal with any bugs the system has. This semester, the registrar forgot to open registration so we all were locked out of the system for a half hour. Imagine a bunch of type A people fighting for the ideal schedule, and that is what the honors program Facebook page looks like on registration morning.
8. The free food is all of our favorite perk
Like any college student, honors students love free food and we get a lot of it. Between various events, Bagel Tuesdays, and a constant supply of free coffee in the lounge, honors students are well fed and generally very happy college students.
9. Living with your fellow honors students is the best, and worst, thing ever.
I actually have never experienced this first hand, as I lived in separate dorms from my fellow honors students. However, being in the program guarantees four year housing, as long as you live with other honors students in an assigned space. As a freshman, this is a great opportunity to get to know the people who you will be in constant contact with for the rest of your college career. It is also a breeding ground of unnecessary drama that sometimes makes me wonder if we are college students or middle schoolers. At the end of the day, we all love each other just like sibling.
10. Receiving that gold stole is the moment all of us wait for.
After passing in your thesis, you receive a beautiful gold stole and a medal to wear at graduation. It is a moment of pure pride, and pure relief. You survived four years of tough classes and completed a project that many do not even attempt until grad school. Of course, this is only a momentary feeling since you shortly realize the real world is now even closer.
