5 Ways to Beat the Back-to-School Blues

Posted on January 18, 2010
Filed Under Advice | By Ashley Singh

back to school bluesMaybe it’s just me, but I’ve noticed that around the end of July and the beginning of January I start to get a little depressed. I get the emails from student activities talking about the events that have already been planned for the semester and the lovely bill from financial aid that I’ve been anxiously awaiting with bated breath. Up until now, I’ve been ignoring all things school. I haven’t looked at my schedule since I registered months ago, haven’t thought about buying books until two days ago, and I don’t think I’ve even thought about supplies until today. I’ve never been one for school; I’ve always hated the learning process and the only thing I like about the institution are that with my major, communications, the classes are actually fun. In anticipation of our back-to-school blues, I have compiled a list of how to beat them.

Commuters: get involved. If you’re going to pay a ton of money to attend a school of your choice, you should take advantage of all it has to offer. Take notice of the flyers that are posted everywhere about lectures and parties and clubs. One of the best decisions I made was to make friends with residents. If you do that, you’ll have a dorm to crash in when you feel like partying a little too hard.

Be Prepared. If you commute, keep a sleeping bag and a change of clothes in your trunk in case your car battery dies while you’re in class or the blizzard of the century hits. Residents, be prepared to make friends with The Dollar Store and Wal-Mart. As a poor college student, you need to learn how to hunt for a deal. Instead of buying the daily can of Red Bull before class, hit the Wal-Mart and buy the four-pack.

Keep in Touch. If you’re feeling homesick, utilize the technology that is so readily available nowadays. If you don’t know about it already, download Skype. It’s a free videoconferencing program that lets you talk to anybody else who has the program and a webcam. Drop a hint to Mom and Dad to send you a care package of your favorite things once a month. We did this when my sister was in Florida: we packed her favorite lemondrop cookies, magazines, DVDs and other stuff she needed. It’s a great way to make the distance less noticeable.

Make an effort to stay busy. If you’re like me and don’t like school, a good way to fight the back-to-school blues is to keep busy. Find a club that you interests you and where you fit in: there’s Greek life and debate club and Black Student Union, and if you find that there are no clubs that interest you, why not start one? After all, Gandhi said “you must be the change you wish to see in the world.”

Find a student mentor. If you’re a freshman and you can’t seem to find your place on campus, go to the student development office and talk to the director about having an upperclassman as a student mentor. I’m currently doing this with a group of girls and it’s one of the best things I’ve done in college. Having someone you can relate to who is going through or has gone through the same things that you are dealing with really makes the whole college experience easier.

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One Response to “5 Ways to Beat the Back-to-School Blues”

  1. Carol55 on January 19th, 2010 10:32 am

    My kids LOVE to get care packages in college.. they get more excited for those to arrive than anything else I send them. I found some creative, fun and funny ideas for care packages you can make yourself here:http://www.celebrationideasonline.com/college-care-packages.html. Used the BBQ in a Box idea last fall as a tailgating party idea before a big game. It was a huge hit.

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