Rinse, wash, repeat
Kat Lerue - April 24th, 2008A friend said to me the other day, “I think the best part of school is picking out your classes for the next semester—before you have to do any of the work.”
Right now, with things being in the direst of straits, I might be apt to agree.
The semester is almost, almost, almost over. You can feel it. You can see it in the glazed eyes of your peers. It’s almost like we’re a campus full of zombies.
I’ll be honest; this is not the part of college I enjoy. And, well, things are a little rough right now.
It’s sort of like shampoo and conditioner. Have you ever noticed you run out of conditioner a lot quicker than you run out of shampoo? And then you have to steal your roommate’s conditioner? And even though your roommate is your sister you know she’ll get all upset at you? (Sorry, Elyse, I’ve been using your conditioner on the sly. I’ll go to Walgreens and get my own from now on.)
Well, I feel a bit like conditioner. I’m almost at the point where I’m just about out. And I see my school work as being shampoo. There’s still a ton left, and it really isn’t as nice as conditioner.
It’s the same every semester. First, I pick out my classes; I anticipate the coming semester with jubilant glee. I start to envision myself sitting in some anonymous classroom, diligently taking notes, soaking up knowledge like a sponge.
But for some reason, probably for my own good, I always forget about this part of the semester—those few weeks before finals of relentlessly painful toil that feels, well, infinite. The passion I had for my classes at the beginning of the semester has turned into dread and resentment. All those projects that were distant and far off at the beginning of the semester are right here, demanding my attention.
I know I’m exaggerating. I have to remind myself the work I’m doing is the work I am passionate about and what I want to be doing for the rest of my life.
My favorite thing about being a student is when the all the hard work pays off, then I get some sort of grade or recognition that shows my diligence was worth it.
Right now, things do feel like they are in a kind of limbo, a little up in the air. But soon it’ll all be over, at least until the fall, when we will start the whole cycle over again.
College is like washing your hair. The semesters are those individual latherings and rinsings. Summer and Winter Break are when you get to go out and show off that shiny ‘do. And sometimes you change your major, which is akin to choosing a new brand of hair products.
The difference is with college one gets a degree and the cycle is stopped. With hair washing, you’ll be doing it for the rest of your life. Hopefully.