Jaime Hebel | Student Life

Dear Scene,

The semester only just started, but I’m already feeling stressed about my classes. It’s a heavier load than what I’m used to, and I’m really worried about keeping up with the pace and still having a life. Help!

— Academically Anxious

Dear Academically Anxious,

Welcome to the new semester! Throughout the past few months, you’ve been inundated with advice. Your teachers wish you the best four years of your life, your parents lecture you to “Just Say No!,” that sort of distant uncle hypes up crypto as the next big thing, your WUSA tells you to seek out university resources, your dentist waxes poetic about her favorite restaurant in Seattle (wrong Washington), sophomores with unsolicited opinions on the school paper advise you that you’ve gotten more advice than you know what to do with. You’ve heard it all.

And so, you don’t need this column. Go to class, study hard, attend office hours, and form study groups. There’s your academic advice, done and dusted.

But you’re here anyway, right? It’s all stuff you’ve heard before, but you’re still looking for guidance. And that makes sense; college is an overwhelming experience, and everyone seems more than happy to pile endless aphorisms and platitudes on you anyway. 

The big, scary thing about college is that all your time is now yours to do with what you please. No parent glowering at the foot of your bed while you oversleep for the fifth time that week, no mind-numbing fourth period (it’s always fourth period) spent daydreaming about all the cooler things you could be doing. The world is your oyster, and that means you now have the ability to do things your way. Because let’s be honest: sitting in a classroom for eight hours straight probably wasn’t the most optimal method for your brain to learn anyway. 

So you know all the basic advice for how to study. But being in college is a special environment that can supercharge those tips to launch you into success.

Firstly, figure out what kind of environment you like to study in. In the past, your options were probably limited between home and school. But WashU has six libraries, endless lounges, plenty of sprawling lawn space, surprisingly comfortable floors (if you’re so inclined), and, of course, your own dorm. Believe me, studying is much more fun when you’re at a coffee shop or sitting in an ancient library pretending you’re in “The Secret History.” Of course, I’ll be gatekeeping my favorites, but you should get out there and find your own!

Secondly, stay organized. Whether you’ve got a meticulously color-coded Google Calendar or just a Post-It in your pocket (believe me, I’m both), staying on top of all your classes, events, and meetings requires you to actually know when, where, and why they’re happening. Staring down the barrel of a semester’s worth of content dumped in an unformatted syllabus is intimidating; separating your assignments by week is not. 

Finally, take advantage of your resources. Seriously. College can be a weird concept if you start thinking about it too hard — a bunch of kids hopped up on caffeine, surrounded by some of the world’s most eminent experts in esoteric fields. You’re never going to be in another position like this again.

For the past couple of years, I’ve had a poster of the Immaculate Heart College Art Department Rules up on my wall. I’m actually not an art student, nor am I rooted anywhere but the Midwest. But these also aren’t normal student guidelines. 

For example, rule 2: “General duties of a student: Pull everything out of your teacher. Pull everything out of your fellow students.”

Between office hours, PLTL, your TAs, and basically anyone in your class, you’ve got an endless supply of brainpower to help you tackle any challenge. It can be intimidating to ask for time and space from a professor, but keep in mind that you are literally paying for their attention and knowledge. You are invited to occupy the space, and you belong there as much as anyone else. 

You’ve already proven with your track record that you’re perfectly capable of keeping up with the pace. Just the very fact that you’re already thinking about how to stay on top of your work and proactively working out a study plan demonstrates discipline that’ll serve you well through the new semester. 

At the end of the day, the reason everyone in your life is so eager to pile you with advice is because they’re just about bursting with the lessons they’ve gathered. This is going to be a fantastic, busy, and challenging year, and you’ll grow in ways you can’t even imagine. But don’t take it from me: go out and live it for yourself. I can’t wait to read your advice column next year!

Your classmates,

Scene

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