As cliché as this is going to sound, it’s difficult to believe that this Friday, Oct. 17 marks the halfway point of the fall semester.
This point also marks the time when class work begins to pile up. Many students have their first round of major exams and essay submissions this week, and it’s easy to become stressed out and feel overwhelmed. With this in mind, it’s imperative to make sure that, as students, our lives are in balance.
Many upperclassmen are well aware—and freshmen have likely come to learn—that the deceivingly abundant amount of “free time” at college gets filled up quickly.
We have seen evidence from U-Day that we are a student body that is highly involved in extracurricular activities. UNH hosts a growing number of students involved in fraternities and sororities, public interest groups, ethnic and cultural organizations, student senate, hall councils and hundreds more. Similarly, UNH is an expensive school to attend; many students on campus work part-time jobs to help pay the bills. With all of this on our plates, it can be easy to put academics on the back burner to make time for socializing and catching up on rest.
For many, putting off writing that paper or studying for the midterm exam until a few days—sometimes hours—before the fact typically leads to less than ideal results. If you do happen to be in a position where obtaining a high grade point average seems bleak, just know that it’s not too late.
If you’re struggling, now is the time to sit down and figure out what’s necessary to get back on track. It’s not too late. From my experience, the best way to help evaluate your standing in a class is to meet with your professor or teaching assistant during their office hours. Most professors and TAs list these on the syllabus. If the times don’t work, shoot over a quick email explaining that you want to meet with them. I promise he or she will be more than happy to help.
On a more serious note, the stresses that come as a result of the aforementioned class work and obligations outside of the classroom can result in severe anxiety. If you, or anyone you know, are suffering from any kind of mental illness it’s important to seek help immediately. The UNH Counseling Center at Health Services can be reached at (603)-862-2090. Ninety-nine percent of us are adults, but it’s important to look out for one another.
UNH is one of the best places to attend college in the world. We have a beautiful campus, competitive varsity and club sports teams, a phenomenal social atmosphere featuring over 300 student organizations and a vast alumni network for nailing down that job offer or graduate school admittance letter of your dreams.
As we move forward into the second half of the semester, be sure to keep in mind why you’re here: to earn a degree. As students, we pay a substantial amount of money and log countless hours both in and outside of the classroom to one day have a diploma with our name on it. Bearing this in mind, it’s crucial that we make sure we’re getting the job done in the classroom while simultaneously keeping our stress levels in check.
Just remember: someday soon all that hard work is going to pay off. Keep working hard, Wildcats.
Sam Rabuck
Executive Editor
