A Fresh Perspective: The balancing act

Well, class of ’13, here we are—six weeks into life at Luther College. It’s been a huge transition, of course, but finally, I think we’re all adjusting quite nicely. Everyone told us college was a whole new world, and now we actually believe it.

Hopefully you are becoming more used to the fact that the squirrels are everywhere and now know the difference between the CFL and the CFA. Nearing the halfway point of our first semester, it’s safe to say we are officially college kids.

Although I can’t say I’ve been extremely homesick, of course there are things I’ve missed. No offense to the caf, but I have yet to find a dish that remotely compares to my mom’s phenomenal cooking. Fortunately, I’ve been able to run home a couple times for a home-cooked meal and time with the family. During these visits it’s also wonderful to sleep in my own bed and do as much free laundry as I can.

Free is also the true college kid’s favorite number. Whether it’s cookies, water bottles, pens, or coupons, if it’s free, we have it. Over the summer many of us probably held jobs which provided us with a steady flow of income, but now we must resort to being stingy. This way of life is essential when you’re living on one work study paycheck a month. However, between random Wal-Mart trips and the Sugar Bowl, pizza parties and sports teams selling t-shirts door-to-door, this money dwindles quickly. Everyone told me I’d be tight on cash in college—I just never thought the “poor college kid” stereotype would kick in so fast!

The part of college that has caught me completely off guard is the workload. At orientation, we were advised to allow two hours of studying for every credit hour in our schedule. In June, I was thinking, “Yeah, right. I never studied in high school and had almost-perfect grades. No way am I doing that much homework!” Now I’m starting to believe they kind of knew what they were talking about. My senior year of high school, on average, I had about two hours of schoolwork a night. Well, you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone, and now I look back on those days with longing.

Even though I reminisce about the good ol’ days, I wouldn’t trade this time for anything. This time last October, my classmates and I may have been better fed, more financially stable, and had less responsibility, but, for the most part, I think we’re okay with that.