Student LifeApr 12, 2017
11 Thoughts We Have While Using The Campus Bus System
The dreaded necessity of college students everywhere.
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"College will be the best four years of your life" is a phrase that we have all heard growing up. College is painted as a magical place to us while we are in high school. A place you go to learn, meet your best friends and probably have the time of your life while all of this is going down. Four whirlwind years, where everything that you've known changes and you start to learn what it means to live on your own, have a job, etc. But what about those of us who don't do this all in four years? Major changes, hard courses, switching schools, career paths changing, these are just a handful of factors that could extend your four years to five, six or seven. There is nothing wrong with taking extra time to graduate, but returning as a fifth-year is a little different. Most of your best friends have most likely graduated and moved and while you may be one of the oldest undergraduates on campus, you might feel as awkward as a freshmen. A world that became home and comfortable to you is still there but it's slightly different than you've known it to be and you have to find a groove to fall into. These are thoughts you'll have as you look ahead to returning to your college campus, with a victory lap planned.
When you started college at 18 you probably thought you were SO old. Now at 22 or 23 you realize that you still are not "old," but you are to the 19-year-old that may pop up in your classes. You seem like a grandparent to them, and no I will not buy you your alcohol or help you find a fake ID.
Sure, you still have friends on campus. But your "squad" is no longer all there. You go from Thursday night pre-games and 2-for-1's to Skype dates to try to stay connected with all your friends. On a positive note, you are likely going to make new friends with other people who are in the same stage of life as you.
You thought you had it rough this last year, yet this year you are more ready to graduate than ever. But, the real world still scares the hell out of you and you are low-key happy you had an extra semester or two to prepare.
When you see your friends moving all over the country you may feel a little down as you realize you are doing the same thing you have been doing for the last four years. But it is important to remember that it is completely normal to not graduate in four years and you can do even more things to help prepare you for the next phase of your life.
At least in your college town, most things that are going on with your campus are going to be things that you have already done before. So, on nights you would rather lay in bed than go downtown, the FOMO will probably be much more toned down.
On the plus side of being a fifth year, you've got this whole thing down. You know the ropes of college: how to study, how to get in with your teachers, where to go on what nights. This is all old news to you and you've got everything down to a science.
Sure, you can still be involved but odds are your social calendar just really opened up, AKA no more events you are going to be fined for if you don't go to. With all this extra time maybe you'll get a job or maybe you'll lay in bed. Ultimately, it is your choice.
Every time you get on Facebook you see so-and-so from high school getting married, having children, etc. And while you're happy for them, you're happy being single and not having that responsibly and being in college an extra year doesn't sound so bad anymore.
Odds are people in your classes will know you are a fifth year and know that you pretty much have the campus figured out so you are going to have to answer questions about where the best spots to study are, where to go for game days, etc. You may get annoyed answering questions, but you're still happy you've got the lowdown on everything.
You are going to learn more about yourself and for the first time since you came to college as a confused, excited and scared freshman you are going to have to get out of your comfort zone a little and make sure to make your (hopefully) last year your best year yet.
Aubrey Plaza is one of my favorite humans in Hollywood. She's honest, blunt, unapologetic, and hilarious. I just started my sophomore year of college, and found that some of her best moments can accurately describe the start of the school year.
Things you may not realize are different between high school and college:
Wearing the biggest t-shirt and fuzziest socks you can find is basically the newest trend.
You gotta do what you gotta do.
No you don't have a curfew anymore, but nothing good happens past 2am.
No need to email your professor that you're "sick", most professors will post all their lecture slides online.
I only love my bed and my puppy I'm sorry
An exam worth more than 20% of your final grade? Thats outrageous!
You're only a loser if you DON'T know where the library is
Mom, I love you.
Dear Mom,
You took care of me and my brothers our entire lives and you still continue to! I will not be able to truly grasp all of the hard work that you put into this family until I create my own one day. But, I know that there are plenty of times I forgot to give you a simple thank you or an appreciative smile. I thank you for everything that you have done for me and will continue to do for me. Here are some examples of those times where you had my back and I forgot to pat your back for saving me:
College is hard. As people ages 18-22, we’re just trying to figure out what we’re doing with our lives, our careers, our eating habits, exercise routines, sleep patterns, and other necessities for adult life. We definitely don’t take proper care of ourselves; it’s basically impossible when we have essays, tests and readings due and somehow we’re supposed to eat right, exercise and sleep. We’re doomed to get sick. I have zero experience in science but when I get sick there are certain things I do to make myself better.
1) Hot showers
Anything with steam. The bathroom in my apartment has a built-in vent system when you flip on the light. However, this isn’t very helpful when you’re congested and you’re trying to use the steam so that you can breathe again. There are two options; 1) you can keep off the lights and use the flashlight on your phone to light the bathroom or 2) you can boil water in a pot, remove it from the heat, cover your head with a towel, and inhale. It looks really weird and you have to be careful not to burn your face on the steam, but it helps clear out some congestion.
2) Over-the-counter medicine.
Vitamins, supplements, Airborne, Mucinex, Dayquil, Nyquil (for bedtime), all of it. When self-medicating you have to make sure that you’re not taking too much of one type of medicine. Use Google to make sure your meds are compatible. Also, read all of the directions; you don’t want to accidentally take too much of something. If you’re feeling nauseous, eat peppermints.
3) Honey.
Honey is a natural healing-agent. If you have a sore-throat you can coat it with the honey. Raw-honey is the most effective type when trying to make yourself feel better. Also, honey in tea is amazing.
4) Tea.
You’ll feel like a damn Brit. (lol, JK love those Brits!) Actually, though, chamomile tea is really good, there're types of tea that help promote relaxation (I love those). You can brew up some tea, put honey in it and it tastes sooooooo yummy! It also helps you sweat out the sickness, stay hydrated, and the steam from the cup helps congestion. Same thing goes for soup, plus it tastes delicious.
5) The expensive tissues.
Yes, it's tempting to buy the super cheap tissues because college kids are poor, but when you’re going to be blowing your nose 80,000,000 times a day, splurging a bit for comfort is the best option.
6) Vicks.
Do you know how many ways you can use Vicks chest rub (or the rip-off brand) to help yourself get better? It’s insane how many places this stuff helps! For a congestion, under the nose clears that out. A cough, putting Vicks on your chest helps you breathe easier. For a sore-throat, you can rub it on your neck and throat and it’ll ease the pain. The weirdest, but best, place to put Vicks is on your feet. It will cause you to sweat. It’ll make the fuzzy stuff from socks stick to you, but it works so well!
7) Rest and avoid alcohol.
I know, rest is hard because we have so much work to do but take an hour long break every once in a while, go to bed at midnight instead of 3, avoid partying. It sucks if you like parties and want to go out, but your body will thank you and you will feel better with the weekend off!
8) Call your mom.
I’m pretty sure this is advice that I give in everything that I do. My mom is a major supporter of me though, and I do call her a lot. She took care of me for my entire childhood, she took care of my sister too. Mom’s have life experience and just know how to help their children if they can. Even though my mom isn’t anywhere near my school, when I’m sick she comforts me and makes sure I’m doing everything possible to feel better, because she’s my mom and that’s what moms do.
9) Go to the doctor.
If you think you really have to. Personally, I avoid doctors on campus, I try to avoid them at home too. I’d much rather take care of myself with honey and over-the-counter stuff but to each their own.
In college, it takes 0.0000002 seconds to catch a sickness that can put you out of the running for a really long time if you don’t take care of it. When I do all of the things listed, except go to the doctor, it takes me about a week or week and a half to fully recover. Best of luck avoiding the on-campus plague, the odds are not in your favor.