In Perspective

For me, along with one hundred organic chemistry students in my lecture section, last Sunday was one of the most overwhelming days of the semester.  We were preparing for our third and final exam, which covered four chapters and around fifty reaction mechanisms.  Needless to say the library study room was strewn with open Wade textbooks and notecards, and each grease board was scribbled with molecules and Fischer projections.

My dorm room was a danger zone, too, with notecards covering the entire surface of the coffee table and spirals filled with practice problems.  I had been studying for the past week and a half, but I still felt anxious about the upcoming exams.  8 PM struck, and I realized that the studying I would do over the next few hours before bed would make little difference with my score.  Instinctively I did what any other undergraduate would do in this moment of helplessness–I picked up my phone and called my mom.

Ironically, I mentioned the test once to her and then never brought it up again.  We talked about our Thanksgiving plans, the most recent episode on Project Runway, and the 3-0 championship win for my brother’s playoff hockey game.  Ten minutes into our conversation, my notecards were neatly put aside.  My mom insisted that my dad drops off a few bags of groceries so that after the test tomorrow I could have a relaxing lunch ready.  He was only a few minutes away, since my brother’s hockey game was downtown.

To my surprise, my dad wasn’t alone when he arrived at my dorm with the food.  My brother Sam also stepped out of the car, holding my puppy Henry.  I did not expect all three of my favorite guys to visit me, let alone bring me delicious food.  For the rest of the night, we walked Henry, ordered pizza, and relaxed.  What could’ve been the most stressful night of my semester was instead one of the best, thanks to my family.  This is why I love Loyola—I am a train ride away from Chicago, but more importantly, a short car ride away from my family.