Q: I’m getting really burnt out on school. How am I going to make it until December?
-Discouraged in DossettA: Never fear! There are only 50 shopping days left until the official end of the semester. While that may sound a bit discouraging to you in your current state of textbook-induced depression, winter break really isn’t as far away as it seems.
Even the best of us can sometimes get tired of the all-consuming nature of being a college student, despite how much we like (or don’t like) our classes or our major (if we have one at all).
In fact, I applaud you for making it through the first nine weeks of this semester without wanting to drop out, something I consider (although never seriously) on an almost daily basis. Of course I know I do not really want to drop out, but it would make things much easier to not have to worry about reading books and writing papers every single day, including breaks and weekends.
This, however, is not the point of your question. What you ask is how you suppose you will make it until your last final without having a nervous breakdown or, worse, failing your classes through lack of motivation.
Unless you are currently failing and have done so poorly that you have absolutely no hope of redemption, there is no need to despair this early in the game.
My guess is that the real reason you are getting so burnt out on college life is the absence in your daily existence of that last four-letter word – a life. I, too, have this problem with college. I try to balance getting all of my school work done and having some semblance of a social life, and (I am embarrassed to admit) I often choose the social life over school work. I never blow off anything as important as a paper or even homework, but I do quite often neglect to look over a reading assignment if I know I will not be expected to know that much about it in class.
Not that I am suggesting this to you. On the contrary, I suggest that you complete all of your school work.
There is nothing more terrifying than having to admit that you failed to complete an assignment intentionally, and even worse is sitting at your desk during class doodling on a piece of paper and avoiding eye contact, hoping fervently that the professor won’t ask you such a question that would cause you to confess your negligence.
So, by all means, do your work. But take it one day at a time. Instead of thinking of the ever-increasing list of assignments you are going to have to complete, only think of the ones you have to do now.
I keep a small notebook of assignments and, when I receive an assignment, I write its description on the due date. If it is a rather lengthy assignment, I write a reminder in the book for one week from the due date, then I promptly forget about the assignment until I encounter it later in my assignment book. This works pretty well to dissolve any unnecessary stress.
Probably the best advice I could give you, though, is to take some time every day to think about something other than school.
Watch a movie, read a book purely for pleasure, or spend some time with friends. Don’t always be too busy with college to enjoy all of its other aspects. These are, after all, supposed to be the best years of your life.
Have questions about college, life in general, or anything else? E-mail the Whole Enchilada at et_enchilada@yahoo.com.

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