My Second Semester of College
As I am coming to the end of my second semester of college, I look back and there are a lot of pros and cons. I’ve also learned a lot about myself and who has really been there for me since starting college.
School takes all of my energy
Being a full-time student and taking 5 classes at one time has definitely been a challenge. I have found it hard to have the energy to do almost anything else besides go to my classes, do homework, and study for tests which has been hard on me in so many ways.
I haven’t been able to work much, which has made me stressed out even more. I haven’t been able to do a lot of extra activities, which has been hard on me mentally because I feel like I’m constantly doing something school-related.
2 challenging classes
This semester was somewhat more difficult than expected, but only because of 2 classes. My Human Anatomy and Physiology 1 class is one of the difficult classes and is the class I currently have the lowest grade in.
This class would have been a lot easier for me if I had a different professor because the professor I have is brand new to this subject and is brand new to being a full-time professor. I have been thankful for this professor as he has given me all of my accommodations.
The other class that has been more difficult than expected is my Intro to Electroneurodiagnostic class. Up until 2 weeks ago, the professor I had would barely teach my class, barely be present during lab hours, was very unprofessional, and would not give me all of my accommodations. 2 weeks ago, we were informed that she was no longer part of the program.
My new professor has been amazing, and I think I will really succeed moving forward. I have managed to keep my grades up this semester even with these challenges.
Managing my stress, schedule, and medication
I think that I have had to work harder than most other students without narcolepsy. I have to manage my stress so my narcolepsy symptoms do not come in full force.
I also have to make sure to take time for me to relax even though I am constantly doing school work. I have to make sure I go to bed early enough to wake up in the morning for my classes while managing my nighttime medicine. I have to take extra stimulants and fewer naps because of classes and school work.
Saving my spoons for school work
I have felt physically and emotionally drained most of this semester, and I have had to give up a lot of things that I enjoy doing because I have a limited amount of energy and have to save my spoons for school work.
I never let this stop me, and I normally do not show how this affects me, but sometimes it does get hard.
Making new friends
This semester I have also made a lot of new friends from my classes. Before going back to school, I did not have a lot of friends because I worked from home and didn’t meet new people often. These friends have even been helping my social life because I have spent time with them outside of class and have even studied with them.
Looking forward to winter break
I am looking forward to this semester ending and for winter break, which is a month long. I am feeling exhausted and overwhelmed at this point, and I think a month-long break will really help me catch up on sleep.
Also, I will be packing before and during the break as I will be moving at the end of the break. More on this in a different article!
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