Back to school time
Yesterday my sister told me she couldn’t wait for school to start (today) because she was bored and sick of summer.
My sister is popular and in a sorority. I think she is looking forward to seeing all of her friends (and all of that exciting school work, of course!).
But wow. I never looked forward to the start of school and I never got sick of summer. Summer was my freedom. I had a somewhat reliable schedule that I could plan around. I knew when I would get to see Steven (we were in a long-distance relationship for four years). I knew I would get enough sleep. I knew I would feel sane.
College was the opposite*. My schedule meant nothing. Everything was up in the air. I had no stability. Teachers would slam us with ridiculous assignments. I felt like I had no control over my schedule. I felt like I had no free-time, until my (first) senior year.
I felt extremely anxious ALL THE TIME.
So now, when it’s “back to school” time, I think about how lucky I am to work somewhere where I get paid salary and don’t have to work overtime, and have all of my weekends off. My schedule is respected. I am in control – even if me being in control means I still overbook myself.
But that doesn’t mean I am not excited for everyone who is going back! I am. I wish I wouldn’t have let anxiety be such a huge part of my life then.
*I feel it is necessary to mention that I was in the architecture program, which practically requires marrying your projects if you want to be successful. Most students end up spending most of their free time in the studio, getting by on 3 hours of sleep or less for days and days on end. I had to cancel weekend plans a lot because I had so much to do.
Themocracy
I had to quit my sorority because it was getting to be too expensive. I am not popular sister! I just missed having something to do. I was working so little and Will & Brandi always had lots of ways to spend there time so I was getting very lonely and anxious. Now with school all my friends are around and I know what I have to do every day. I quite enjoy it! 🙂
My college boyfriend started out as an architecture major, he lasted the first semester before he got tired of spending every waking moment in the building working on things. I was a microbiology major, so I didn’t really have big projects hanging over my head other than papers and such.
Architecture kids are crazy! I hear many bring pillows to studio so they can catch a quick nap if they had to be there all night. That’s insane.
firstly, you just reminded me how young you are.
secondly, no Greek at my school. I double-majored though and pushed myself way more than necessary (only found out the latter after a friend of mine taught in one of my depts.). Turned out my old prof gave a lot of people the same grades without the same work. Grr. Oh well.
I don’t miss the assignments, but I do miss Mizzou around this time of year.
Mr. P did the architecture program and it was BRUTAL, I barely ever saw him when school was in session…BUT, I loved going back to school…dork.
I feel like I could have written this!
Everyone always says, “College was the best time of my life.” I remember thinking, “If THIS is the best time of my life, I’m SCREWED.” 🙂 I didn’t like the varying schedules everyday, the large classes where the professors didn’t know your name, and just the constant anxiety.
The good news is that when every student is dreading going back to school in the fall, I appreciate how I’ll never be there again. Oh, wait, I did just start taking classes! But it’s different as an adult, I think. Or maybe I’m just learning how to handle my anxiety??
Oops. I’m one of those girls crazy excited abt school starting…but then, I HAVE been waiting to go back to school for about 4 years!
But I know what you mean abt the crazy architecture schedules and projects..my roommate is an architecture major and she sometimes doesn’t even come back home, and sometimes stay up till 5 am!
Just wanted to respond to your comment on my blog about your aches and pains — I had temporary muscle soreness after my long run but nothing really bad. It sounds like you’re dealing with something more chronic. I hope you get it figured out. I know how much it sucks not to be able to run.
I got excited to go back to school in elementary school because I got to see my friends again, the ones who didn’t live in the neighborhood. And I really like fall. College was crazy, you’re right. But again–friends who I never got to see over the summer. I focused on that as opposed to the work. I still do 😉
Looking back college memories seem to be happy and full of friends but going through it was nto all fun and good times.
I guess we choose to remember the good times not the average everyday homework overload ones.
I used to feel stressed out in college all the time too. I like to know what is going to happen and teachers can be unpredictable with homework/tests etc. Right now even though I am super busy, I am rarely stressed out because I am the one in control (mostly)
My kids just went back to school this morning for a half day and then tomorrow my baby starts kindergarten. I am sad. I wish they could just stay home with me forever.
I feel like I didn’t get to take advantage of college, either. Long distance relationship, anxiety over school work, trying to work and go to class. All those things added up to me feeling like I didn’t get the same college experience as everyone else. In fact, I think the only thing I miss is having live-in friends to hang out with on the weekends.
1. I do remember that our Architecture majors were looked upon as some sort of super-human beings because of how hard their program was. So I totally hear what you are saying on that.
2. I am in the camp of people who had an awesome college experience and pines for it sometimes. It seems like my biggest problem was my weekly heartbreak, and while it was devestating at the time, it seems so silly now. I realize I wasn’t exactly in the hardest program–at least it wasn’t hard for me b/c I loved to read and write–and let’s face it, humanities programs don’t exactly have a reputation for being difficult. In retrospect, I weigh whether I did it all wrong (i.e., not picking a more work-related major where I could actually get an internship) but everything worked out and I spent 4 years being happy as could be (and I did work while I was in school, don’t get me wrong, but it was tutoring and working at a coffee shop which I also loved) so I wouldn’t change any of it for a second.
Grad school on the other hand? That’s a different story. :p
Oh yeah, and I forgot to mention that summer caused me stress b/c I was away from all my friends and forced to go back home!!! :p BO-RING!
I agree completely, summer is way better and more interesting than the school year and should last forever. Sometimes, I’m really jealous of all my friends who have actual jobs and whose free time is their own to enjoy as they please. Now that I’m getting back into school, I feel guilty when I read for pleasure instead of for class or my MA exam. Lame sauce.Thanks for being honest about enjoying your controlled schedule. Whenever I voice my opinions about grad student life, people just yell at me and say that I’m lucky.
Oh, I think I was more like your sister. I LOVED returning to school. Then again, I wasn’t the strongest student in the world and attended one too many frat parties in my lifetime. As an adult, though, I have a lot more respect for someone like you who worked their ass off through school. I just didn’t have it in me (even though I’m smart enough to know better and to have done better in school!).
I liked going school supply shopping. That was the highlight of returning to school. I remember in college before I realized that no one actually did ALL the work assigned to us that I was drowning in reading and reports. That lasted my first quarter then I got wise.
After the absolutely crazy wacked out summer that I’ve had, I am eager to get back to my teaching schedule. We start back in two weeks, and I’m leaving tomorrow for twelve days, so I pretty much had to have everything done by today. I’m almost done…but really, I’m ready to see my kiddos!
I was actually thinking of this the other day when my teacher friend said she had her first day of school coming up this week. When she said first day of school, my stomach flipped and I literally cringed.