Almost 1/4 Done With College :0

As March comes to an end and my last month of Freshman year begins, it’s crazy to think that in a few short weeks I’ll be home, and ¼ done with college! March seemed to zoom by, and now I have only 2.5 weeks of class and one week of exams left! My schoolwork is like the giant constant of college…it’s always there on the to-do list, just waiting until I finish my meetings and other commitments. It seems to say “Come on, Mitchell…you know you have to get me done. Just sit down and finish me!” My day seems to always end with me looking over my homework list and wishing I had finished more. I understand the equal importance that co-curricular activities play in my college education, but still – what my parents are paying for is my classes, and when I’m not able to get everything done, and I have to stay up way too late to finish reading or homework problems, it’s frustrating! When thinking about next year’s courses, I caught myself thinking “well, I might not have time for 18 credits if I’m going to be president of South Quad…” which seems out of place when the main reason I’m here is to get educated. I can’t emphasize enough how important the word “balance” is to college – if you use your time exclusively on schoolwork, being social, or activities, you’re missing out. Sometimes, it’s hard to balance those three appropriately, but it’s essential to know when to focus on one or the other.

I had been forgetting about the fact that one also needs to balance sleep into their schedule, and was getting 6 hours consistently for several weeks. I think that contributed a lot to the fact that I now have mono. Granted, you don’t get mono from lack of sleep, but it definitely suppressed my immune system, and so when I shared a drink with someone who had it, I just got it immediately. Throughout high school, I never liked to share drinks or food with anyone, and as soon as I relaxed about that a little bit in college, I got mono! Moral of the story? DON’T SHARE DRINKS! Anyway, once I found out I had mono, I went through my calendar and started crossing things off. (The only cure is getting lots of rest). There are some meetings I can’t miss, so I haven’t been literally going to class and then sleeping, but I’ve had to miss a lot. That has been really frustrating for someone who thrives on being busy and having a full schedule, and it’s been difficult to accept the fact that I simply won’t get better for several months unless I really think critically about each thing I am involved in and decide what I can and can’t miss.

If I didn’t have mono, I would be telling you about my trip to Chicago this past weekend, which my friends who were able to go reported as “amazing.” I would be telling you how excited I am to walk in the Relay for Life this coming weekend. I wouldn’t be talking about how behind I am in schoolwork, and instead would be talking about all the fun parties I had gone to. But, alas, everyone has to get mono at some point in college. I guess the timing was pretty good…like I said, we only have a few weeks left of school, and my various involvements have definitely slowed down a bit. But nonetheless, it’s still a drain on my energy!

In other news, I have 4 papers, a performance of a Shakespeare scene, and 3 exams coming up in the next few weeks. At the same time as I’m not looking forward to freshman year ending, getting through all of that and then having a nice long break is going to be very nice! I’m very excited for my trip to Israel with Michigan’s Hillel in May. We had a meeting for my group last week, and it was really cool to meet all of the people that I will be going to Israel with. It’s really neat that I was able to do the trip through the University of Michigan Hillel, as next year, I’ll be able to maintain the connections I form on the trip!

This weekend was the Honors Charity Ball, which is an annual event put on by the Honors Resident Advisors. I was the disc jockey for the event, and it was really fun for everyone who came! South Quad events never fail to be fun, and despite mono, I was able to dance and have a good time! The 4^th is my birthday, and a group of friends and I are going out to dinner together, so that should be really fun. Turning 19 is really freaky to me, but I’m definitely excited to enter the last year of my teenage years!

I also bought my football tickets for next year…I’m going to be sitting with a few of my really good friends, so that should be really fun!

I’m terribly sorry that I don’t have more exciting things to report, but I’ve been trying to take it easy the last few weeks to get over the mono as quick as possible! I definitely don’t want to be sick for my trip to Israel!

Remember, if you have any questions at all, I’d love to help! Academics, activities, social, personal – you name it, I’ll answer it!

mitchc [@] umich.edu

GO BLUE! Don’t share drinks!