When students finally settle into their university, their problems shift from adjusting to college life and preparing for the coming year to more conventional issues that they face on a day-to-day basis. College is a place of learning, socialization and, most of all, growth, but these aspects create problems that every student will have to face in some shape or form.
Upon entering the stairwell of Oakwood Hall, one will often hear guitar melodies as they take each step up the staircase. On the second landing, before opening the door to the second floor, the acoustic sound grows. I walk through the well-lit, plainly painted corridor until I approach a dorm room door that reads, “206,” where the tunes are playing louder than before.
The University is standing on the precipice of change. With a brand new academic building, fresh new food options, and more construction emerging, the University has never been so full of new beginnings. In the wake of all of the changes on campus, students and faculty are making some adjustments themselves. After a long summer, students are looking forward to making some revamps in their academic and involvement choices.
When it comes to making a living, most college students end up either behind the register somewhere in the local mall or serving food to hungry customers at a restaurant. With flexible hours and a half-decent salary, customer service jobs are an easy way to make some extra money during the summer months and even on weekends during the school year. But is that all that these kinds of jobs are good for?
The beginning of the school year marks the return of school work. Some students return to college already used to the rhythm and volume of homework. Some freshmen are just starting out and are experiencing it all for the first time.
In what seems like one minute, you’re shouting the lyrics to every song of one of your favorite bands as you watch them perform live; the next you can’t remember ever being there in the first place or who you were with. At least that’s what happened to me.
We take a trip to the Philadelphia Zoo with a few friends. Our iPhones are secured in our hands, at the ready. We take a Snapchat of the monkeys, the hippos, the sea otters, and the penguins. We rotate our phones between ourselves to ensure everyone has a selfie with the giraffes. We stroll through the Zoo, squinting at our screens to find the best Instagram filter for our photos.
It’s about that time. The senior class is beginning to finish up their last few papers and are starting to study for their finals. They’re picking up their cap and gowns. They’re starting to get anxious and emotional.
It was just like any other normal day, I guess. I woke up to the sound of my mother getting ready to take me to school. But this time, she was moving so fast, I was getting dizzy spinning around the room watching her. She kept talking to herself about “special people” that were coming to visit the school. In the midst of the madness, I had noticed, whether it was last night or some time ago, she had lost the last tooth in her mouth.