Back to School Bliss ... or Blues?

Photo by Sydney Meyer

With the start of a new school year comes new beginnings, new events and new people. For some, the beginning of a new school year can be terrifying. For others, the start of school brings nothing but excitement.

Athletes are typically excited to come back; they look forward to competing at a collegiate level, to meeting new teammates and experiencing new coaching styles. Some students are honestly just excited not to be living at home anymore.

Stephanie Rodriguez, who just started graduate school, didn’t have much of a break during summer. She feels that she’s been at school for way too long.

“I’ve been to school for more than 10 years; I haven’t been having a break at all for a really long time. I just wish I had more of a break instead of deadlines followed by more deadlines,” Rodriguez says. “A break would be much appreciated.”

Senior Lukas Michenka is already thinking about his future after graduation, which doesn’t make him too excited to start his last year of undergraduate school.

“I wasn’t excited because I’ve been overthinking a lot about the fact that I’m a Senior,” Michenka says. “I can’t stop thinking about what I am going to be doing after this year when I am done with school.”

While some students were not enthusiastic at all for the beginning of the semester, others couldn’t wait to come back.

“I was excited for this year to start so that I could see all of my friends again,” Nicole Robbins says. “I was also excited for the new season of tennis. I knew that we were going to have a really good team this year, and I was ready to get back out there practicing and playing in tournaments.”

Freshman Luke Graham is excited for many reasons, not only to finally be living on his own, but also to be playing a sport at a college level.

“I have people I really love back home, so it’s been tough,” Graham says, “but I know that in the long run it will be rewarding.”

A new year has begun, full of mixed emotions and hopefulness. Ready or not, here it comes, so students should just try to enjoy the experience, making the best out of whatever comes their way this semester.