Round and round and round we go

The worst part about every break is the first day of classes when you come back.  Be it a month long break or a three day weekend I believe that students instinctively go into a lazy stupor that makes us want to stay up all night and sleep all day.  Unfortunately classes generally happen before noon, and you get smacked in the face by your alarm you forgot you set, fall on your face as you try to get out of bed (or maybe that's just me being clumsy), and stumble your half awake self to the shower so you can get to class on time.

Credit to:http://www.flickr.com/photos/iheartroxy/85454640/in/photolist-8xYFS-aF423-A52ko-BrRqW-BrRwH-J54zb-23tz7E-24xrq7-2owB37-2AQj8H-31iJb1-42E6Vu-498aRF-4dEcQS-4moENH-4nLs9N-4AN6VY-4MKSYd-4Q3jCh-4ZSz9D-51XkqW-55yFAu-5bjrqC-5bAfnj-5mYbEA-5F7ArG-5R7xJn-5Srdie-6cEYzf-6d7raA-6pNJDw-6rvdMw-6sEPci-6xV3M6-6GZyoi-6H4C8Y-6HgVH2-6HgX9v-6Hmkno-6HmkLS-6HBa8q-6U1YY6-6U5rx3-74kcAB-74oQhw-74oSyL-75geLw-75xcuW-75xQrm-7c4zXW-7coLVb/

Then to compound your desire to be back on break you are perpetually tired all day, but all college students know exactly how to handle this problem in three words, "coffee and naps." That's right, grab a coffee on your way to class and pass out in your dorm for 15 minutes during your lunch break.  I know it always gets me through that rough first day back, and I'm sure I'm not the only one.  

The first day back

Well after a much needed midterm break here my peers and I are again; back at the old grind.  It is truly amazing to see how this campus can go from empty and bleak to bustling and filled with students.  It is nice to have everyone back together, but we all know deep down that it means tomorrow our classes are back in session.  After a week of sleeping in we all will have to reset our internal clocks and get it ready for classes again.  As you walk into the library or through the dorms you are greeted by groups of students frantically doing classwork that they put off "just one more day" for the entire break, and students bringing their belongings back into the buildings.  It is a very busy day, and the hustle and the bustle of the campus can be felt. At the end of the day many of us will fall back into our beds, look around the room listening to the campus come alive, and think to ourselves how good it is to be back.

Midterms, Midterms, Midterms!

The term is half way almost half way through, and midterms week is coming up.  For most collegiate students this week is a proverbial "hell week,"  but for me it is actually an easier week.  The bright side of being a science major is that many of your classes do not follow the term schedule.  For the most part professors simply set dates for your exams based on where you will be in the material you are covering to make the most sense, not where in the term you are at.  This actually ends up making exams a lot easier to handle as the information is all cohesive, and many times your exams do not fall in the same week.  All that being said this week will not be all sunshine and rainbows for the science majors. Some of us may have exams still if their classes happen to fall as such or they are taking general graduation requirement classes, quizzes, and papers due.    Personally I have two quizzes this week (Botany and Organic Chemistry two) both falling on Wednesday, can you say bad timing?

Oh and the most worrying part about midterms? Definitely the procrastination that leaves me up until four in the morning frantically trying to learn everything the night before the quiz/exam, but that's just my opinion.

Image courtesy of: http://www.flickr.com/photos/54780361@N05/6817796696/sizes/z/ 

Busy, Busy, Busy?

When studying the sciences life can be pretty busy.  Between labs, class, studying, and somehow trying to find time to eat and sleep a lot of people think that's all science majors do, but that isn't always the case.  I myself am part of 3 different clubs on campus (an officer of one of them), have a job that I work a good number of hours at, go to the gym everyday, and still am able to find a little bit of time to unwind in between all of the craziness of my life.  The key to being able to handle all of this comes in two small words; time management.

Image courtesy of: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lithoglyphic/86742268/sizes/m/

By practicing good time management skills it makes it more possible for me to be involved so heavily in my college community, have a steady job, and , most importantly, keep my grades up.  I personally have 2 calendars that I have completely filled out to keep myself on track. One of them sits directly in front of me on the wall in front of my desk, and the other is eye level on my door.  Having these strategically placed like this allows me to always at least get a good glance at my schedule at least once in the morning, and allows me to plan accordingly.  This is one way to keep myself on schedule, but it helps me.  If anyone has any sort of ideas to help as well go ahead and add some comments! It'd be great to get some feedback from anyone reading this, and to get some sort of discussion on what other people do to keep their heads above water so to speak.  

What do you do for....fun?

So I've shown you the dark side of the science major, and I bet you're all wondering "what do you even do for fun?"  Well to answer that question, I basically do this:

Video from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ritaljhhk7s

I'm kidding of course. I don't have random chemicals sitting around my house to do these kinds of experiments, but I do find joy in performing the different labs that come along with being involved in science.  Being able to find, change, create, inspect, and just generally learn about what happens around me is thrilling. Obviously I do not spend all of my time in the labs, and when I'm not I am generally spending time with friends, watching or reading about football,  playing some sort of card/video game, or doing homework.  

And so it begins...again

The third week of classes is almost half way over, and anyone can tell the term is moving forward and full speed ahead now.  The pressure is on, and no one feels it quite like us science majors.  After a long day working in the labs, which coincidentally is the best and worst reason to be a science major, the assignments are rolling in.  The first formal lab report has been officially assigned, the first practical exam is slowly creeping up, and none of this even acknowledges the lecture.

Image courtesy of http://blommi.com/handling-online-paperwork/

 Although all of this work is piling up, it feels good to be back in the swing of classes, keeping busy, and getting the job done (and done well).  Even having that little bit of pressure that keeps spurring you on to work harder and get everything done better  feels good.  It creates the fire you need to succeed.

The First Project

The third week of classes is off to a rocket speed start.  As Monday's classes ends and we science aficionados move into our evening, there is no relaxation to be had.  Instead our first big project of the term is due tomorrow.  Procrastinators one and all we begin our frantic battle to find our sources and create some sort of a cohesive project outline.  Paying close attention to our guide and finding the best pictures possible. As the midnight bell begins to toll we think to ourselves, "ahhh its finished;  its finally finished," though we all know for a fact come tomorrow night the process will begin anew as we study for that quiz or put together that homework assignment.  Though that thought hides in the back of our minds; we all take solace in that one moment of joy, that one moment of "finally; I can go to bed."  And in this moment we rejoice! We hide under our covers, bury our heads, and let out a sigh of relief because come 8 A.M. the alarms will sound and it will be another day in the trenches, battling for that piece of paper.  That one golden piece of paper that will come at the end of these four long, crazy, fun, exciting, exhausting, and beautiful years.