Semester One: A Synopsis

Semester One: A Synopsis

As the first semester of my college career comes to an end, I’m forced into my brain’s own nostalgic memoir of the fifteen weeks that have passed. I learned a lot and grew up faster than I thought I would have to, which written out sounds cheesy and cliché, but it’s true. Heading into college this summer, there was a lot of he-said she-said about what it was and what to prepare for, especially living in such a big city. I wanted to attempt to clear that up and explain what it’s actually like, embarrassments and all.

So, here I am: slightly more grown up and on a sleep schedule that I never imagined possible, ready to pour my guts out to you about my first semester experiences here at Loyola.

Move In: It’s totally fine to room with someone you know, someone you don’t know, or someone that you only kind of know. As harsh as it sounds, you don’t need to be best friends, and sometimes it’s better that way. Understand that this is someone that you’ve been assigned to live with, and unless there is an extreme case (or your roommate is disrespectful and you cannot live together peacefully) you’re with them for the rest of the year. Make the best of it. Respect each other and establish guidelines and FOLLOW THEM.

Week One: This will be the easiest week of your entire college career, and simultaneously the hardest. You will either wake up an hour early before your class and have 40 minutes of wait time, or you will roll out of bed 10 minutes before your class starts and hope to God the teacher is late. It is inevitable, and most mornings afterwards are as such.

Week Two: It is okay to not have a clue. It is okay to room with someone that you do not know, and it is okay to walk into the wrong class room twice in one day. Honestly, I walked into the wrong building a few times. (I am blushing furiously admitting this).

Week Three: AP classes and your college prep high school did not necessarily teach you how to write three (>5 page) papers in two days. It’s okay, it’s the beginning of the semester, if anything is guaranteed it is that there are more to come.

Week Four: You’ve had perfect attendance thus far, and I’m really proud of you for that. Stick with it. Miss only the classes that you absolutely have to, because it is a nasty awful habit.

Week Five: If you haven’t had a quiz in any of your classes at this point, be prepared. Your professors are under no obligation to tell you when they are in class if it is printed in the syllabus. Especially if it is printed in the syllabus.

Week Six: Put down the books, and go explore. you’ve been in Chicago (or wherever you end up going to college) for about a month now. Saturday nights are not meant for studying, they are meant for exploring your surroundings and trying new things.

Week Seven: FALL BREAK HECK YEAH I CAN BINGE WATCH NETFLIX IN SPANDEX AND IGNORE MY RESPONSIBILITIES! (This is an awful idea, write your papers that are due the day you get back, professors do not care if you needed to watch the last episode of Breaking Bad, that is not a good enough excuse for why you only wrote two out of five pages.)

Week Eight: Oh, crap. It’s already week eight? I still call my mom to help me sort laundry, how am I supposed to handle this whole adulthood thing on top of the various midterms I have to take? What is a mid term? It’s not even technically the middle of the term? Also, why is this a 9 page test if it’s only 15% of my grade? What is the final going to look like if it’s 30%?! (BREATHE, you will be fine, just study. Study and get some sleep.)

Week Nine: I still have midterms. I repeat: I still have midterms. Why do I have midterms, wasn’t that last week? No. Midterms can stretch out over a few weeks, generally anywhere from week 6-10 depending on your major and the classes you’re enrolled in. Fun fact learnt the hard way by yours truly.

Week Ten: HALLOWEEN YES SO EXCITED! Have fun, but make sure you show up for your once-a-week Saturday Bio Lab. You can’t make those points up easily. Plus you might get to do cool things like see what the inside of a cow’s eye looks like. (Outer space would be my best way to describe it. It looks like a pair of galaxy leggings but way, way cooler.)

Week Eleven: It’s starting to feel like fall, and you should start dressing like it. Especially in Chicago, where the wind makes everything feel at least two times colder than it probably is outside, staying warm is a priority. The greatest thing about (most) college kids is that you can wear a purple scarf with an orange jacket and red rain boots to your 8:15 am and someone’s probably going to be sporting about the same thing.

Week Twelve: This is about the time that you discover that you have money in your account (flex dollars) that can be used at any of the on campus cafes or food places. You’re excited that you don’t have to eat dining hall food anymore, and you spend way too much of it in three day’s time. I heavily advise against doing this your first semester, as any flex dollars that you do not use can be transferred over to the next semester. (But not the next year, so this advice is specific to the first semester. If you have $100 left and two weeks until summer, start spending.)

Week Thirteen: Thanksgiving is in one week. Only 7 days are standing in between you and your grandmother’s famous stuffing. However, before the stuffing comes several days of you and your best friends sitting on the floor of your room eating takeout and studying until 2 am for the exam you have the next day.

Week Fourteen: Realistically, I don’t know why we have this as a week. We go to class for two days, and then are free for Thanksgiving. Savor those few days spent with family and friends, because you’re in for a real treat when you get back.

Week Fifteen: You will spend 88% of your time in coffee shops studying for the 9:00-11:00 final that you have next Monday. Did I forget to mention it’s your least favorite and most difficult class? The one positive thing that comes out of this is that everyone is so flipping nice this week. Motivational posters and kind words everywhere, y’all.

Finals Week: Although this is probably the most difficult week you’ll experience in a long, long time, it is the one that really makes you feel like a college student. Ordering $20 worth of takeout and putting the rest in your fridge to save for tomorrow, making 200 flash cards because you didn’t realize that you would need them to review at the end of the semester, having homework breaks turned dance parties to Chumbawaba’s “I Get Knocked Down” with a carefully selected group of study buddies… that is what makes you feel like you finally belong here.

The long nights and constant studying turn out to be worth it, because congratulations: you are now officially a college student. Your rite of passage is over, and you can reward yourself with a trip back home, where you can literally do whatever you want for an entire month.

It’s scary, it’s stressful, and at times you will have doubts… but more than anything, it’s worth it.

Welcome to your first semester of college.

 

 

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