We are in the homestretch of the fall semester whether we like it or not. It is such a weird sensation that we are halfway through week 11 of 15.
Out of the many actualities I’ve discovered about college, the pace at which time flows here is what blows my mind the most. I remember quite vividly calling my dad after week one claiming that college is progressing at the rate of a snail, he responded with, “Once you get busy the time will fly.” He was right.
At that time, I was longing for a pace change, as I was merely a homesick little boy who was unsure of how to spend my time. Nowadays, time is a commodity of urn. I could write a novel on little tips and advice for the person who walked into Sargent Hall on Aug. 25 at approximately 10 a.m. The most prevalent piece of advice I would hammer into his skull is one of importance to everyone: enjoy the time you have now, because you soon feel like you’re drowning due to the lack of time you have.
One culprit in the absence of time is the amount of clubs one believes they can be a part of. Parents and peers urge you to get involved with clubs and whatnot in college, and it is very tempting to want to dive head-first into everything that sounds interesting. I warn future college students who are planning on joining a plethora of group chats and email lists to educate themselves on the clubs they want to devote a proper amount of time to.
In my brief experience with clubs, I have learned you can only devote the proper amount of time to two or three clubs to fully experience the wonders of said clubs. Beyond two or three, you end up overwhelming yourself and the intention of having fun gets lost. Students love to cram their schedules with clubs when they don’t have to worry about classes and hours of homework in the first few weeks of school; however, once classes ramp up and homework now takes hours to complete, going to clubs seems like a chore to attend. Then, you just end up being very busy and time starts to feel like it’s accelerating at a drastic pace.
Another culprit to my newfound lack of time might be my horrendous sleep schedule. I am dumbfounded as to how I now struggle to get out of bed before 10 a.m. I lose the crucial hours of the morning that could be devoted to studying and replace them with studying at odd hours of the night. I gaslight myself into thinking I can fix this schedule in a day, but my hopes never come to fruition.
I feel as if I can combat this lack of time going into the second semester, and I think anyone else experiencing this can too. Once I figure out my specific class times, I will know what to expect, which eases my anxiety. The next step will be going to bed at a normal time for the average person. I also know I need to set aside time to unwind and enjoy the moment. Time is quite precious, especially in college, and it is essential to slow down in the fast-paced world we live in.
Quinn Elfers is a freshman studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Want to share your thoughts about the column? Let Quinn know by emailing him at me989022@ohio.edu.
