Here we are again. Back to school after a long month off. Refreshed and rejuvenated and — not — ready to take on the pressures of academic life and independence. The first week back can truly feel like a slap in the face.
Not only are we returning from the comforts of home and entering the harsh reality of, well, daily coursework, we’re also plowing straight into the grim January weather. The boulders of snow and sheets of ice are symbolic obstacles to get through on a daily basis, making habitual tasks even more tiresome.
On the contrary, the freshness of a new semester can be exciting and uplifting. There’s no better time than now, at the start of 2019, to set new goals and finally implement the positive changes we keep telling ourselves we’re going to make.
Second-semester junior year is especially a time of mixed emotions.
Half of us are abroad living our best, most adventurous lives, while the other half are back on the home turf, tending to our patriotic identities. The BU campus still feels stuck in winter hibernation, tucked into a semester-long slumber. Who even does anything from January to March?
While it’s tough to formally acknowledge, I must admit that the adult world is beckoning, and its arrival won’t become any further away. The stress of securing quality summer internships to solidify permanent jobs overcomes the best of us juniors, especially now that we are well into the second halves of our college careers.
Every step we take matters down the line. The classes we enroll in, the extra-curricular activities we commit to, the experiences we build. No longer are we just playing the game — now, we have to win it.
It’s crazy to think how a short two years ago us juniors were nervously navigating our way through freshman year of college, acclimating to our newfound life away from home. Two years from now, most of us probably hope to be employed and permanently living away from home. Knee-deep in adulthood. Yikes.
At the same time, I hate to simply write off the year-and-a-half I have left as a college student. I keep reminding myself that this is the time to experiment with our passions and just simply be, instead of constantly worrying about the next phase and simultaneously losing out on the moment.
Our college years are some of the most formative stages we’ll ever experience. They are meant for exploration. It can be easy to forget to savor the moment when faced with the demanding deadlines that each life transition requires.
This is why one of my personal goals this year is to slow down and allow myself to enjoy the here and now.
Things are different this semester, but they are also very much the same. There are some familiar faces and some missing faces, similar routines, but varied at the same time. Let’s appreciate the changes, or even the lack thereof, and make it a semester to be remembered.
Coffee is my lifeline, every morning, afternoon and night—and occasionally in between. Find me café hopping with my nose buried in a book and a cappuccino by my side for good company. I’ll never pass up a chance to explore this adventure-packed city and its unique, bustling yet mellow culture.
