Returning to campus after a co-op feels eerily like waking up from a very specific kind of fever dream. The kind where Outlook calendar notifications haunt you and you somehow miss your dual-monitor setup more than your friends.
For our new readers: heyyy! I’m Jeylan — a 3/4 Industrial and Systems Engineering major who just wrapped up two back-to-back co-op rotations from winter through summer (aka spring semester, but longer). This column is here to explore all things jobs and internships. Fair warning: I am not an expert! But I’m going to try my best, consult everyone I can, and if you ever need anything, my inbox is always open. I promise if I can’t help you, I’ll find someone who can. Now that we’ve got that out of the way… back from cubicles to campus.
I’ve officially made the jump back to Stevens, but adapting has been… strange. Just nine months ago, I was terrified to leave school for the workplace. Now, I’m scared to leave the workplace for school. Who knew syllabus week would feel more overwhelming than onboarding? Speaking of terrifying: I’ve been converted – I now default to Outlook instead of Google Calendar. I know, I know, and trust me, I don’t even know who I am anymore.
Then there’s the whole equipment downgrade. My co-op setup had me feeling like I was piloting a spaceship. Now? I’m hunched over my laptop like it’s 2012. I cracked. I bought a monitor— yes, a whole monitor— for ten bucks off Facebook Marketplace. I can’t believe it either, but my neck thanks me.
And don’t even get me started on office gossip. I miss my cute little project managers and our lunch gossip session when I wasn’t on-site. I miss being business casual and pretending I had it all together. But what’s really messing with me is time.
During co-op, I had structure — time-blocked calendars, 30-minute check-ins, and a reason to wake up early. Now I’ve tricked myself into waking up at 6 a.m. every day… for classes that don’t start until 10a.m. or 1 p.m. I know that sounds like a dream schedule, but right now, it’s my sworn enemy. What’s harder, though, is sitting through an 80-minute lecture after months of quick meetings and Slack pings. My attention span is no longer built for Canvas.
It’s weird — I spent months learning how to be a working adult, and now I feel like a freshman all over again. Imposter syndrome really doesn’t care what direction you’re transitioning in. It’s finding itself in everything. The co-op gave me a taste of what life after college could look like. Coming back, it’s hard not to feel stuck between two worlds — not quite a student, but not quite a professional.
Still, I’m excited to be back. I can’t wait for the club events, the midterm all-nighters, and of course, the sweet bliss of having no income! But I’m also figuring out how to unlearn “9-to-5 brain” and relearn “student brain,” and it’s proving harder than expected. If anyone has tips on how to study again, or how to survive without free office coffee and snacks, I’m all ears! But for now, I hope the first few weeks are treating you well and I can’t wait to give you guys all of the advice I have retained!
