Tag: Back to School

True Life: I Survived The First Week Of Classes

True Life: I Survived The First Week Of Classes

It was painful, but I did it. I survived the first week of classes!

The first few days back from Summer break are always the hardest to get through. After an amazing, relaxing Summer spent sunbathing and swimming, sitting in class is the last thing I look forward to. It is the inevitable end to every Summer however and I have found that there are a number of emotional stages that every recently back to school student must go through:

1. Denial – “School is not actually starting that soon. I still have time. It’s still Summer, for goodness sake its 95 degrees out!”

2. Crisis – (partly a result of the denial) “I’m not ready! I haven’t even thought about my classes yet and they start tomorrow morning!”

3. Depression – “I am actually up at 7:30am getting ready for class…”

4. Acceptance – “Well I am here I might as well pay attention. This may be boring but I need good grades”

5. Excitement – “OK wow, turns out that this is actually interesting material. I am excited for this class!”

Now, if you’re lucky, like me, you are actually taking classes that really interest you and apply to your future. I am taking 5 Education classes and 1 English class. I have found that the content we are learning in my Education classes is actually incredibly interesting and very applicable.

This Fall I have a new tutoring job that I look forward to starting with a company called Frog Tutoring. Also starting soon is volunteer opportunities such as Loyola’s chapter of UNICEF and Loyola 4 Chicago.

After I got through the initial stages of denial and depression (which didn’t take long) I see that coming back to school is actually something to look forward to and to be excited about.

I am going to miss this! A sunrise this Summer from my house back in Michigan.
School’s (Almost) In For the Fall!

School’s (Almost) In For the Fall!

I have been lacking incredibly in the blog department these last few weeks, shame on me. But I am back now with… well, not too much to blog about. YET.

These past few weeks have been calm as I wait for school to approach, which, by the way, classes begin in two and a half weeks.

One of the coolest things I’ve done since I last blogged is I went to the Anberlin concert at Taste of Lincoln Avenue. Since none of my friends were free that night, I ventured out on my own to see my favorite band perform, even though I wasn’t very enthusiastic about going alone earlier in the day. My excitement began to rise though once I arrived, and by the time they appeared on stage, I was ready to scream, sing and dance to every song, which is exactly what I did.

For anyone who has never seen Anberlin perform, make it a life goal to go at least once. This was my third time seeing them and they disappoint. They’re energetic, charismatic, and oh so talented. And guess what? Their new album drops in October, meaning they’ll be back in Chi-town this Fall! Of course I’m going to be there.

Other than Anberlin, I’ve been relaxing and getting ready to go back to school. I still have several weeks, but I’ve already gone shopping for my school supplies and bought most of my schoolbooks. I’m even reading one of them right now to get a little head start (no comments on my nerdiness- it’s going to be a tough semester).

I am both excited to start school, but at the same time, I’m really sad that summer is starting to come to an end. Soon winter boots will replace my sandals, and my fun reading books with textbooks, but now isn’t the time to complain. It’s time to get myself (and everyone else) psyched for the upcoming semester, so I’m going to focus on the positive aspects and events of this upcoming Fall.

To start, I’m enjoying the idea of doing a little back to school shopping, and not for books and classroom material. Now is the time of the year for me to use the excuse that I need some new clothes because I love starting the school year off with a bang.

Another thing I’m looking forward to is coming home and having something to do other than just watch reruns of TV shows. Homework may not be at the top of my fun list, but I’m actually excited to begin writing papers again.

These are two small things I’m looking forward to, and for next week I’ll come up with several more. Let’s get pumped!!