Author: Pretty Peach

One thing that can come naturally in college is stress. Most college students face stress, nobody likes it, but it’s one of the realities of college. But what has been causing it for me the most? Due to my light class load last semester, consisting of mostly just quizzes and discussion posts, school was not too overwhelming. My main stress stemmed from my social life instead. But now, over halfway through with my second semester, I am being bombarded with the reality of deadlines and grades. Most of my classes are writing based assignments, though I am enjoying them, they are different from what I am used to. For my creative writing class we are doing workshops where we have to critique other students’ work. And for my first year seminar, I am having to interview a teacher and then write an essay on it. It’s a good experience, but can be overwhelming when it is something you aren’t used to.

 

Another big challenge for me has been battling procrastination. With all these intimidating writing assignments, I put them off to avoid the negative feelings, only to find out once I start them, that they are not nearly as difficult as I anticipated. So much time I could have spent getting homework done I was scrolling on social media for hours or going out with friends. Earlier this semester, I neglected to pay attention to due dates and fell behind. This put me on the wrong foot for the rest of the semester. Even now, with seven weeks left until the end, I am still working on catching up. My procrastination has put so much stress on me and left me worrying that I may fail my classes and have to spend money to retake them. I have learned my lesson thoroughly, and know now how important it will be to pay closer attention to deadlines and steer away from avoiding big assignments when they are first assigned.  And luckily I am doing everything I can to bring up my grades. 

 

Coming into my first semester in college, I had no idea what I should expect. I set my expectations way too high for how quickly I would become adjusted to college life and make relationships while keeping a steady schoolwork schedule at the same time. I was quickly hit with the harsh reality that it takes some time to settle into all this, and I had many feelings of doubt and loneliness. I ended up settling for the wrong crowd. I connected with and hung out with people who damaged my self-esteem and mental health, and encouraged me to be involved with things that were not of my character. It took over a couple of months until I was finally able to officially cut them out and find the right crowd of friends who care about me and make me feel good, rather than bad. Looking back, that was a major hurdle that deeply affected me during my first semester, and I am glad I was able to recognize it and overcome it by finding the right people.

Another obstacle I faced last semester was finding enough balance to make time for studying and homework.  I prioritized everything such as relationships, working out, and cleaning my room over my classes. This  resulted in me getting school assignments done last minute or late, which caused way too much stress. While all the priorities I listed above are very important during your time in college, it is crucial to be able to balance it out with your schoolwork. Because of all the new and exciting aspects of being at university, I procrastinated until the due date and would wind up having a small window of time to get papers and exams done, which resulted in mediocre grades. I rarely studied, which led to me almost failing my final biology exam. I overcame this hurdle by finding time during my free days to head over to the library or University Union and work on school assignments before the due date. This has helped me tremendously to have less stress and anxiety and feeling overwhelmed.  Another way I overcame this was by studying and getting homework with my friends, that way I can keep my social life while also being productive and maintaining good grades.