It’s that time of the year. People are sneezing and coughing, whether it’s during class, while walking past each other, or in your residence hall. The one thing you’re trying not to do is get sick. And of all things that could happen, you get sick.

I got sick for the first time away from home and it absolutely sucks. Your mom isn’t there to take care of you. She would give you the right medication, make sure you’re well rested, and call you out of school. You didn’t have to worry about what medicine you were supposed to take and which ones at what time.

You also have to go to class no matter how sick you are. Some teachers understand that students get sick, but unfortunately, a lot do not. And honestly, why would you want to miss class? This means missing a lecture, a quiz, or a test, and there is no chance to make up any of those.

On top of that, since everyone goes to class when they’re sick, they get everyone around them sick as well. It’s inevitable. Sickness spreads like a wildfire in college and the cycle is never going to end. The only way to avoid this is to keep washing your hands and hope for the best.

No matter how sick you are though, life just keeps going. You still are going to go out with your friends, go to meetings, and go to events. There really is no time to recover because of everything going on all the time. Being sick is annoying but it’s not a college experience without getting sick at least once. Just remember to keep using hand sanitizer, washing your hands and being healthy in general. If you keep up healthy habits, you won’t have to worry about being stressed while being sick.