Do you ever have the feeling that school is too much for you? That life is passing you by while you are sitting in class with your nose stuck in a book, or at work, slaving away? Join the club.
But cheer up. We are now half way through the semester—probably one of the worst times of the year. Classes are in full swing, while midterms, numerous assignments and research papers face us in each course. Sure, we have made it this far to the semester break, but those eight weeks that still lie ahead seem like an eternity.
I know I am not the only one out there who wants to throw her books aside and forget about classes and other obligations for a little while. What happened to the enthusiasm for education I once had?
At first, I was excited to be in school this semester. All my classes were new and interesting, and I was looking forward to the opportunity of putting out the campus newspaper each week. This eagerness carried me through the beginning of the semester nicely—that is until I hit a rut last week. A couple of weeks ago, I was happy to fill this 17-inch column with my thoughts and opinions, but this week I think, “Do I have to write again?”
I do not know exactly what made me have such a drastic change of heart, but one morning I just woke up and wanted to stay in bed instead of facing another hectic day. All the stress and the hectic pace of life that I had thrived on throughout the first half of the semester suddenly seemed too much for me to take. I was longing for that one free, boring, lazy afternoon a week that I deplored during summer break.
Talking to other students, I discovered I am not the only person on this campus who feels this way. Everybody I spoke with shared the same complaints of being burned-out and overworked. As with me, this is a new phenomenon that has surfaced only in the last couple of weeks.
Part of the problem is that students are wrapped up in too many commitments other than school. Gone are the days when a person could be a full-time student and concentrate solely on classes.
“I’m going to school full-time, working full time and trying to have a full time social life,” said a political science major who is taking 17 units and working 40 hours a week. “I just get burned out.”
She, too, said that she was excited and motivated when school first started in September, but all of a sudden, feels overworked.
Even students who do not have to hold down a full-time job feel the same way.
“Classes aren’t too bad, but work study and soccer take a lot out of me,” said another full-time student.
Others complained that classes moved at a slow pace at first, but have suddenly picked up speed. Just when they think they have caught up, instructors throw more homework and exams at them.
For all of us, the end of the semester and the holidays are so close, yet so far away. As I try to study for midterms or catch up on homework, I often find myself daydreaming about a life outside of La Verne. Is there life outside of La Verne? Sometimes I wonder.
Unfortunately, the days when we can relax and spend some time on ourselves are still at least two months away. While classes, work and other commitments keep us running around like crazy and stressed to the limit, we have to find some down time.
What will it take to get motivated again? Divine inspiration? Cancellation of classes? A week of vacation?
Sadly, none of these are feasible options. Instead, our only option is to take a weekend, an afternoon, or even a few moments to ourselves and hope for the best.
Tonight, I think I am going to forget about life for a while, and curl up in front of the radio with a good book. It may not be the answer, but at least it is a start.
