 "Photo: Andrew Long")
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Restless nights of tossing and turning, feelings of anxiousness and the momentary loss of sanity - no, it's not midterm season yet. It's only a week and a half into the semester.
School has just begun and many students are already waist-deep in reading, quizzes and papers. So it's no surprise students are freaking out about how they are going to survive the semester, let alone make it to the first set of midterms.
For many students, including sophomore Amy Muntifering, balancing a full school schedule with work can mean more stress.
"I wake up at 6 a.m., and I don't get done with school until 7:45 p.m. And on top of that, I have dance practice late at night," she said. "With such long days and long nights, I'm like a zombie addicted to caffeine."
As for me, I'm definitely starting to feel the pressure. Last semester while I was putting together my schedule, I thought this semester would be a breeze. I would be taking only 13 units, unlike the 19 units I was enrolled in at the time.
However, after attending my first week of classes, my perfect semester bubble was popped.
With all of my GE classes done, I have nothing left but demanding upper division classes. Let's just say that four upper division classes make up for the fact that I'm taking fewer units.
Elise Peters, a senior nutrition and food sciences major, thought she would freely enjoy this semester because most of her friends are graduating. But the lab classes she is taking add up to three extra hours of schoolwork, she said.
"Don't wait to do all of your 400-level classes at once," Peters said. "I took almost all of my GE classes my freshman and sophomore years, and I kind of regret it."
Senior Ashley Goda definitely thought she would be able to play around a lot more this semester, she said.
"I saw a lot of my older friends and what awesome last semesters they had, so I thought I was going to have the same experience," Goda said.
As a graduating senior myself, I realize my days in Chico are a precious few. Once I graduate and leave this beloved little town, I will no longer be able to walk back and forth between friends' houses or go out with $20 in my wallet and be set for a night at the bars.
This is my college life, and I want to get the best out of it, both academically and socially.
But I don't think any of us are in school to get a degree in partying.
Seniors applying to graduate school may hurt their chances of getting into a competitive program if they screw up by choosing to attend "power hour" instead of writing that seven-page paper.
Peters, who plans to start applying for internships for this summer, doesn't want any poor choices to affect her grades.
"Grades really matter for some internships, so I need to get a lot of A's and B's," she said.
Striving to make it through the semester without blocking out the entire world can put tons of stress on students. None of us are Superman or Wonder Woman. We can't expect to make it through without breaking down.
I've been a dancer for many years, and even though my practice schedule makes life more hectic, there's nothing more relieving than spending two hours putting all of my energy and focus into dance.
Like many, Peters likes to let loose all of her built-up stress at the gym, followed by a relaxing and rejuvenating shower back home.
Whether it's working out, taking dance class or even stretching out the stress in yoga class, everyone has their own ways of dealing with their troubles, and it's a lot easier going to yoga once a week than having a mental break down every two days.
Though at times it may feel like the number of pages to read are endless, and new papers are being assigned faster than the time it takes to write one, all the stress, tears and anxiety attacks will hopefully lead to the jobs we are working so hard to be prepared for.
Jacqueline Carambat can be reached at jcarambat@theorion.com
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