Interlude # 9 - College Euphoria

Hi all,

I was speaking to my cousin today. She graduated high school a year early and this is her first semester in college. Since Thanksgiving is in a few weeks I reminded her midterms were around the corner. She said that she'd already taken a few. I remarked that there is such a difference in the atmosphere around colleges during midterm and finals week. And it's not just in the library and study rooms. It's the whole school. There is a hush that can't be broken easily, and if it is, people give you the “evil eye” until the stoic mood is regained.

I told her normal people become truly weird during this time. They say things like "I can't talk" even though they're eating lunch alone and staring into space. Other common midterm and finals week phrases are "we have got to study because Professor X doesn't give extra credit" or "do you have a group" or "I didn't sleep until 3am last night trying to finish Professor X’s paper." Now that I'm reminiscing of my college days, I recall how stingy I'd be with my notes. In most classes, I was an avid note taker and since I took many science and math classes I was more sought out at finals week than pictures of TomKat's baby. People who I’d last seen on the first day of class came out of the wood works to ask me for my notes. It was one of my pet peeves at the time, that people had the audacity to miss 15 classes and then ask for the notes so they could photocopy them. I think it's funny now though - who knew I could morph into manical note hoarder? But the best thing is that when I declared English as my major I didn't have to take too many notes because the best way to take notes for my major is to write all over the literature being studied and for a majority of exams for English classes, if you have a textbook, the professors let you use it. Not all of them, but a lot of professors allow you this small kindness - I think it's because they don't want you to butcher their favorite quotes. :D

Still, the worst thing about college for new students is the stress level. Stress is so high for freshmen at this time of year that the suicide rate (for all students but freshmen in particular) actually rises. I remember at my Alma Mater the roof top cafeteria and other balconies were closed during midterm and finals week because a few years prior to my going there and at a few other (and might I add Ivy League) schools more recently, people jumped from at least eight stories up at their universities because they were stressed out, or had failed tests. These may have just been unfounded rumors but the closed off balconies were real enough. I’ve never felt that pressured in school, and I can't imagine what that must feel like in that situation, but people, killing yourself isn't the answer. You're in college to better yourself, not to let it get the better of you. And remember, college is only for a few years. You have a whole lifetime afterwards to look forward to.

There are so many new experiences in college - I don't think there is another time in your life that you network so well and are exposed to so many new things - things you'll find out you love and things you won't like. I remember being exposed to workshop classes for the first time. I absolutely hated them in the beginning. I was always one of those people that hated group work because I always ended up being the one doing the bulk of the work and other people's work not meeting my standards. It's not that I'm a control freak, but random group assignments make it a high likelihood that you'll be placed with someone who is taking the class because they have to and not because they want to. It wasn’t until I took workshop classes that they turned out to be my favorite. You get real feedback from 90% of people who have a similar passion for what you're writing and even the other 10% is still helpful because you can learn what is distasteful about your work from people who don't like it.

This is true in all majors, even science and math classes which usually have one correct answer. People break down formulas and solve equations in different ways. Having someone break down PV=nRT (The Ideal Gas Law) and explain it's relevance to Boyle and and Henry's Laws using a hot air balloon - is a mind blowing experience when you fully understand the implications. Comprehending iambic pentameter after someone has used colloquial language to explain it is equally amazing.

So to all those new freshmen out there who are struggling I have two things to say to you:

1. Stay in school, the information you learn is worth ten times whatever your tuition costs.

2. Remember to temper your workload with your fun intake. Keeping even a few minutes in between study sessions helps. I heard that when studying you tend to remember the beginning of the study session and the end of the study session. So taking frequent breaks say a 5-10 minute break every 45-60 minutes is ideal for your memory capacity. It worked for me. It's also a great tension reliever when you're study a very heavy topic like Marxism or say.... trying to prove your thesis in Chemistry :D.

Hoping Thanksgiving comes quickly so you college folks can get a break-edly,

Davi