As I write this, there are several other things I could, or rather should, be doing. I should, for example, be writing my 10-page paper (D-Day minus 2), doing my 200 pages of reading (D-Day minus 1) or studying for my midterm (D-Day minus 4). What I should not be doing is watching reruns of Full House or taking multiple naps. I have Cipro to thank for my inability to stay awake, but there’s no one but myself to blame for my incessant procrastination. I’m an exculpate-myself kind of gal, though, so I’m going to point the finger at the mid-semester slump.
We’re more than a month into the semester, and I’m still not used to having work to do. Classes are great when they’re abstract; during advanced registration, our imaginations overflow with visions of determined productivity and the sparkly A’s sure to result. We are certain that our semesters will be full of inspired multitasking. Then winter break ends, and we realize that treadmills make us tired and that being a responsible student is not as easy or as fun as it may look.
Still, the beginning of the semester is filled with promise, and the enthusiasm caused by all that untapped potential is addictive. For the first two weeks of classes, we do all of our reading, hand our assignments in on time, and are genuinely excited to learn. “I have to read a really interesting book this weekend!” we say (though perhaps with less naïve earnestness), and, miraculously, we do it. But then February hits and everything changes. “I have to read a really boring book this weekend,” we sigh. And unsurprisingly, we don’t do it. February’s dismal weather is usually the perfect scapegoat for our collective malaise, but this year, thanks to some spectacular days, we don’t even have that excuse anymore. With midterms around the corner, we (read: I) can’t afford to be slacking off. Yet, sadly, I watched A Walk to Remember not once, but twice this week.
Luckily, the mid-semester slump is just that: a slump. Once we’re over the hump of Spring Break, well rested (or sleep-deprived), we’ll be ready to tackle our workload with all the energy of… well, ourselves circa mid-January. We’ll get our sparkly A’s (read: B+’s), and we’ll all live happily ever after. Probably.
