I was functionally drunk and I hadn’t had a sip of alcohol or ingested any questionable substances. My mind was a mess. After several cycles of sudden word vomit and blind staring during dinner that baffled my roommate, I resolved to go back to the dorm and attempt, once again, to get some work done.
What had induced this mental jumble was my attempt to write a 500 word column, describing the overwhelming nature of life at Northwestern. What I had intended to be 500 words of insight into the freshman adjustment turned into 700 words of incoherent babble. I realized that I didn’t know how to do college. That’s when my mind exploded.
Back at the study lounge, the menial task of taking notes soothed the peripheral effects of my craze and enabled me to speak in comprehensible sentences. But the inner turmoil within my mind persisted. It wasn’t until my three closest friends returned to the dorm that I was able to address this turmoil. Sitting on the floor of the third floor study lounge, we decided to pursue advice on how to deal with my mind jumble. This is how the night proceeded:
10:30 p.m.: We left for our friends’ house in hopes of seeking wisdom from elders and a place to unwind. My friends basically said that what I was feeling was just how things were, and that you get used to it. I left the house with this wisdom: In college, you learn how to live without certain tasks that would otherwise be necessary. An example of this would be going an extra week without doing laundry or buying groceries. There simply isn’t time.
11:15 p.m.: My friend and I returned to the dorm. I had work to get done, so naturally, I called an older friend from high school to ask him how I was ever going to get all of my work done. I left the call with this wisdom: In college, you can’t do everything. Prioritizing is the only way to check off tasks from your list. I also learned that a good way to prioritize is to do your reading before you do your paper because you know your paper will get done; it has to.
12:58 a.m.: I started my Arabic homework.
2:20 a.m.: I finished my Arabic homework and started reading for journalism. I also signed onto Facebook. I chatted with my sophomore friend and asked him if he ever gets all of his work done. He said that he gets his stuff done, but, like tonight, he has frequently had study nights that end at 4 a.m. I left our chat with this wisdom: In college, sleep is optional. As far as work goes, it only gets worse. This is why you have to make choices and stick together with your fellow classmates in times of agony.
2:40 a.m.: My friend invited me to take a study break and to go visit people at another house. Wiped from the night’s extravaganzas but not ready for bed, I agreed.
3:00 a.m.: We arrived at the house and all discussed how much work we had left and how ridiculous it was that we were up and not doing it. The conversation switched to Greek life and the involvement of all of my friends. One person argued that the responsibilities of being president wouldn’t be that bad because when you have stuff you need to get done, it gets done. I left the second house with this wisdom: All I had to do to organize myself was get the stuff done that I needed to get done. When you have something to turn in, it gets done.
4:30 a.m.: I returned to my room exhausted yet alleviated of my stresses of the early evening.
I woke up the next morning at 8:30 a.m. and, possibly due to the adrenaline induced by getting only four hours of sleep, I felt driven, motivated and good. For the first time since I got here, I got all of my work for the day done, I enjoyed each minute of every class and I was not overwhelmed. Even the task of locking up my bike was a seamless 30-second feat, whereas it had been a five-minute struggle the previous day. After a crazy but necessary night, I had figured out how to do college.