The Wall Street Journal Classroom Edition

TEEN CENTER :: COLLEGE CENTER :: FRESHMAN JOURNAL

January 2003

Good to Be
Back at Work

By Caitlin Noris
Special to The Wall Street Journal

Winter Break is officially over. I know this because I spent four hours in class today, beginning at eight o’clock in the morning. If that wasn’t enough, I also spent $231.04 on textbooks. Moreover, these are books that I will never use after this semester is over. Going back to school was a complete mental shock; my brain feels rusty and tired.

I had a tremendous time over break. I visited my dad in Orlando, Florida for a few weeks, and then I went to Miami to visit my mom. It was good to be home. I relished my bed, my television, my friends, my family, and most importantly, I enjoyed my carefree state. I had finals over with, my grades were in, and I had absolutely no work to do.

With my new, completely relaxed attitude, it was difficult to face the prospect of going back to classes. After all, they seemed so far away! It only sunk in that I was going back to Pittsburgh the day before I had to leave. From the airplane, I watched the beach grow smaller and smaller, until my view of home was blocked by clouds. I arrived in Pittsburgh late at night, only to be greeted by snow, freezing temperatures, and a sense of sadness that my time with my family and hometown friends was over.

I discovered the Sunday after I returned that I had nearly forgotten how much I love being at college. It was great to see my friends and catch up on all that had happened over break. Our excitement to see each other was mixed with a great deal of anxiety concerning classes on Monday. After all, it is hard to predict whether or not you will have good classes--meaning classes that are both interesting and relatively easy. I know it does not bother me to face challenging classes as long as teachers are reasonable. Most of my friends feel the same way. After all, if you are going to pay $10,000 a year for an education, you want to make it worthwhile.

It does not look like my schedule will be as easy as last semester’s. It may just be first day jitters, but I seem to have a lot of papers to write, many tests to take, and tons of books to read. Vacation was great, but I do not want to stay in that extremely relaxed state forever. There are too many deadlines looming—not only do I have to study for all my classes, but I want to rush for a business co-ed fraternity, land an internship, and find a place to live next year. It feels like I have too much to do and not enough time! Nevertheless, it feels good to be back to work.

Caitlin Noris, originally from Miami, Fla., is a freshman at the University of Pittsburgh. Her Freshman Journal will be updated periodically on the Classroom Edition Web site.