Wow. Look at me.
I have been in this school since August 20, 2011. If I recall correctly, I arrived at 10:45 a.m., a little early for my City Exploration Pre-Orientation program. I believe this is a total of 1,517 days of being a college student.
Yet, despite all of my achievements and accomplishments thus far, why is this single semester giving me so much trouble?
I have a hunch.
I am taking a meager 18 credits, a paltry amount compared to my friends. 2 of these credits are for a pass/fail class that I am taking for the sake of my senior design partner, so this shouldn’t really stress me out. The other 16 credits are distributed to Fluid Mechanics (CE-342), Civil Measurements Lab (CE-381), Senior Design (CE-423), Reinforced Concrete (CE-484), and Steel Design (CE-486). I was warned by a few professors in the civil department that this would be rough, but I didn’t initially believe them.
I mean, Fluid Mechanics is really straightforward—a lot of the equations are present in Thermodynamics and Water Resources, so I am not surprised with a lot of the material. Civil Measurements Lab is just a show up and do/learn stuff kind of class, so no trouble there (actually tons of fun, really). Concrete is, thus far, not a problem. It’s mostly theory-based, so all I have to do is listen attentively and give the homework my best shot. Steel is trickier—any class with that professor is—but it is almost sort of fun and procedural with all of the equations, so long as you have a Steel Bible (and know how to read it), you’ll be fine.
My senior design project isn’t even too difficult! The only hitch is that I am in a two-person group.
On the side, of course, I am working to help out with this year’s Castle Point Anime Convention, still tutoring, and still helping The Stute every now and then. And then there is the job hunt, but my experience establishes me well for most positions I am interested in.
So what then is the problem?
You guessed it: balance. Balancing is tricky. If I had only one of the above issues to contend with, I would have no problem whatsoever. But dealing with faulty apartment furniture, (I’m looking at you, former tenant!) new health issues, and the daunting and omnipresent reality of my inevitable future as an adult is really starting to wear on me.
Of course, I am probably one of the most adult-y students you will find here at Stevens, level-headed and capable of handling just about any crazy situation with calculated precision, but still, the impending obligation to be “that guy” on a permanent basis isn’t exactly something to look forward to.
Yet, with all of my current struggles and the issues that lay unresolved before me, I look back. In 1,517 days, have I not had worse things to deal with? The emotional strife of seeing the SGA slash my budget, the clamminess I felt as I searched for an apartment because Res. Life has crap rates, staying up until 6 a.m. to complete that Water Resources report, my infamous “NEW HEADLINE”—yeah, I doubt there is much in my immediate future that could give me pause.
All ahead forward. 222 days remain.
