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Student Life

The 7 Stages Of End-Of-Summer Grief

Do you have the back-to-school blues?

Lindsey Brown

Aug 15, 2016

University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma

143

Daily News

No matter how many years you've gone to school, going back after a break is never easy. Saying goodbye to summer for months of homework and deadlines can be a challenge. Gone are the days of rolling out of bed at noon and laying by the pool for hours, wasting the days away. If you feel like you're losing a friend as summer comes to an end, you're not alone. Here are the seven stages of back-to-school grief that all students are going through by the time summer is on its death bed in August. *RIP summer*

1. Shock

It all starts with a back-to-school commercial. All the kids are dancing in their first day outfits. They're buying notebooks. They're playing hopscotch on the playground. They're singing on the bus. It's anarchy. How can summer be ending? You feel like you just turned in your last essay yesterday. You don't know if your heart can take this kind of bad news. How did this happen?

2. Denial

It can't be time for school to start again. Those companies just start those ads waaaay too soon so they can make more money. You still have plenty of time. You're not freaking out. Its fine. Your fine. (You also refuse to look at the calendar, but that's unrelated. Everything is *fine*)

3. Anger

How could this happen? You aren't ready for summer to end. You haven't even gotten the perfect tan yet. What about all the road trips you were going to take? The concerts you were going to buy tickets for? You haven't even started your summer bucket list yet. What kind of people make students go to school for so long anyways? Did you hear about the school two towns over? They don't start school for two more weeks. Two. Weeks. Where is the justice?

4. Bargaining

You will do anything for just one more week of summer. You'll be nicer to your family. You'll volunteer. You'll read more books. You'll sell your left kidney. Anything. Just make it stop.

5. Depression

Life is so unfair. Why do you have to go back to school? It's so pointless. Now you have to buy books and turn in assignments and wake up early. Might as well spend your last few days of freedom barricaded in your dark bedroom because doom is inevitable.

6. Testing

OK, so this school thing is obviously happening. It's time for you to come up with a good plan. Maybe you should buy all your supplies, suck it up, go to school and get it over with. Or maybe you should change your name, pay for plastic surgery, leave the country and never go to school again. Seems reasonable at this point.

7. Acceptance

Fine. You guess it will be nice to see your friends again, and some of your classes aren't awful all the time. You'll go back to school, but you don't have to like it, and a small part of you will keep mourning the loss of your summer break until May comes around again. Then you'll start the grieving process all over again in August. *yay for education*

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The 7 Stages Of End-Of-Summer Grief

Do you have the back-to-school blues?

1. Shock

2. Denial

3. Anger

4. Bargaining

5. Depression

6. Testing

7. Acceptance

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"I don't want to do things. I want to not do things."

1. When you look at the syllabus and realize there are only three weeks of the semester left; even though the first day was LITERALLY yesterday.

2. You look at your grades and realize they probably aren't as high as they should be, which is a terrifying realization.

3. When you think to yourself at night, "tomorrow, I will wake up early and go to the library ALL day, and, hell, maybe after I'll go to the gym for a little bit, just to push myself that extra mile."

4. Tomorrow actually comes. The inevitable and overpowering sense of procrastination is too strong to overcome.

5. But you DO end up going to the library. Not all day though, but still, a while. But no, you do not go to the gym. Still, you made an effort, so you decide to treat yo' self.

6. When you realize you need to schedule a meeting with your adviser because you need to sign up for classes next semester. But you also realize that since you waited until the last minute, you're going to get stuck with all of the crappy classes.

7. When you low-key try to slip into conversation with your professors that you need extra credit because you're that desperate.

8. When it's already the third time you've seen your adviser in two days because you have no damn clue what you're doing and need all the help you can get.

9. When you apply for a job associated with your major even though you have no experience, but you just want to dive headfirst into the deep end of adulthood and get it over with.

The world is not always sunshine and rainbows, and you do not have to be, either.

It would be so much easier to just pay someone to do it for you

1. Figuring out when to start

2. Searching through list after list to get everything you need

3. Shopping for deals

4. Getting bins to put everything in

5. Figuring what you can’t live without

6. Going through clothes to find what you need

7. Finding out your siblings took something from you

8. Fighting with your parents.

9. Trying to plan things with your roommate

10. The fear of forgetting something

11. Move in day

Relatable moments from one of the best shows I have ever watched.

1. When you fail that midterm you studied so hard for.

2. When your crush finally texts back.

3. When payday comes around.

4. When you accidentally like someone's picture from 108 weeks ago.

5. When someone takes your unassigned assigned seat.

6. When your favorite character in your favorite TV series dies.

7. When that guy/girl you’ve been crushing on agrees to go on a date with you.

8. When you have so much to do, and such little motivation to do it.

9. When someone asks for your last fry.

10. When you try a new health-food craze.

11. When you get new clothing.

12. When you check your bank account.

13. When they're serving good food in the dining hall.

14. When someone tries to tell you what to do.

15. Or just your thoughts about life in general.

We all have that "I don't care" attitude.

1. Most students just take life day by day.

2. That means procrastinating, one day at a time.

3. College students don't mind dressing like crap sometimes.

4. In fact, dressing nice feels weird.

5. College students get so stressed that they contemplate dropping on a daily basis.

6. But most find another solution to deal with that stress.

7. And that solution can be pretty cheap. Anything over $5 is expensive.

8. One of the only things college students will spend money on is coffee.

9. College is just really expensive and you never forget how expensive it is.

10. But hey, we're getting a somewhat high-quality education, right?

11. We all really just want to pet dogs all day.

12. And eat pizza for every meal.

13. And stab the next person who asks us what we want to do with our life.

14. However, despite the stress and student loans, college is amazing and there's plenty of reasons to smile.

Thank you, April, for inspiring us with your wicked relatability.

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