My phone’s alarm went off for the second time, and I scrambled to brush my teeth, shower, change into nice clothes and run to class all in 30 minutes. During my first class, I rummaged through my backpack and discovered an old pencil and a heavily used notebook with random notes from the previous semester. “They’ll do,” I said while catching my breath from the run to class. This new semester was already starting off rough.
The first week of classes is viewed by many students as fun and easy-going. The libraries are empty, friends are going out every night, and when I ask people if they’re busy, they respond with, “it’s syllabus week.” Many of the professors are laid-back, understanding that students are switching in and out of their classes, and homework is at an all-time low for students. Life at U.Va. couldn’t get any easier, but personally, this is probably one of the most stressful weeks for me.
“Syllabus week” has created a variety of problems, and it all started the few days prior to the first day of classes. After being silent for awhile, my email has suddenly been bombarded with announcements from professors and updates from different clubs, which I usually ignore until school actually starts. Then, I tell myself leading up to syllabus week that it’ll be an easy week, so I don’t shop for textbooks or do any of the readings for the first few classes.
I also never can remember my schedule and have to continuously check my phone, so I don’t forget to attend a class or accidentally tell a friend I can make it to lunch when I actually have class at that time. Finally, not knowing my finalized schedule and having to deal with waitlist classes gives me anxiety. I love having everything in order, and this week is just too disorganized for me.
To be honest, this is the first time I have felt uneasy during my first week of classes. During winter break, I was spending time with one my friends and we talked about how we desperately needed a new semester to happen. We both were excited to start over in the spring, but this week has felt different than past syllabus weeks. Usually, I would be scouring the internet for the cheapest textbooks I can find, buying supplies in advance, waking up an hour before my first class to eat breakfast at Newcomb and trying to make friends during the first few days. Instead, I’ve barely made it to my classes on time and took notes on random pieces of paper.
It’s difficult to completely understand why my excitement for syllabus week has been so lackluster this spring, but I think it may be because it’s my fourth semester. Unlike high school, where the first week of new classes and classmates comes once a year, U.Va.’s semester-based system makes the novelty of a new week seem repetitive. By my fourth syllabus week, it’s almost as if I’m picking up right where I left off the semester before. Everyone loves syllabus week for good reasons, but it only serves as a reminder that I feel too complacent and apathetic. I don’t feel permitted to say I’m jaded yet, because I’m only a second year, but I am yearning for new experiences this semester, and hopefully I can discover them after this wretched syllabus week.
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