The smell of pumpkin spice, the sight of Halloween decorations, and the noise of leaves falling from the trees fill Stevens’ campus all around. If only there was time to enjoy the scenery. Like every other student, I am stuck studying for exams and midterms, or completing assignments whose deadlines I have been dreading to see pop up on my Canvas page…
Deadlines, to me, are like ghosts. If I don’t see them, I won’t believe that they are real. Yet, it seems as if every single important deadline arose from the dead to appear on my Canvas to-do page. At the same time, I should be devoting a lot more time to studying for exams as well. By midweek, I see every notification about deadlines, and almost all of them are warnings. On top of that, I go back to see where I started on most of these assignments, and almost all of them are blank. Every single blank assignment haunts me until their deadline appears. They have been lurking, waiting patiently for me to acknowledge them. The timing of it really matches the Halloween spook. Nothing is as scary as opening Canvas and watching my list of to-dos multiply throughout the day.
Don’t get me started on midterms. Not to brag, but freshman year does not contain as many midterms as I was expecting. I cannot speak for every freshman, of course, but seeing everyone else on campus study like crazy for midterms is oddly relieving. Not a lot of people are out and about on campus, but occasionally, you’ll see people walking tiredly into the library like zombies. It’s comforting that when I do have midterms, I know I won’t be alone and that everyone is scared of these deadlines as well. Struggling and powering through together as students encourages me to push through!
Ironically, I don’t even fear the work itself. I fear the process of being unable to start the work. Once I sit down and attack each task with a sentence or two, the ghost seems to lose its power. If you break each assignment down into pieces, the work becomes manageable, and slowly, each one can get done in time for the deadlines. At times, it can become tedious, but it’s better than letting the deadline devour me. The deadline won’t disappear on its own, so better show it who’s boss first.
As Halloween approaches, I cannot wait to dress up, have fun, and eat as much candy as I please! This time, I won’t ignore the ghosts, and I will face the deadlines head on. Even if it means opening Canvas on purpose and starting the assignments when they get assigned. I wouldn’t want to be stuck in the library either; that would be a whole different type of horror to face… For now, I prefer a balance of good grades and fun moments spent in autumn. And if that doesn’t work, I know I can rely on office hours, my group of friends, and a pumpkin spice latte. Happy Halloween, and beware of the deadlines!
