Brayden Cross

I’m not going to lie and say that my transition into college has been easy by any means. The change in my life was a particular challenge for me and one I thought I was ready for. It turns out that I wasn’t prepared at all for the curveball life was going to throw at me. I knew the schoolwork was going to be hard, but with Covid making everything harder, it has been extremely difficult. It was easy making changes like having a roommate or getting up a little bit earlier than I normally do or learning a new classwork system like Carmen. However, the biggest change came in the ability to interact and attend class. I never thought I would say that I want to attend class, but I do, now more than ever.

I love the scenery from Morrill Tower and being able to live on the west campus. I enjoy the food more than I thought I would, and I enjoy all my professors. I have met a few incredible people including my roommate and suitemates and a few other guys and girls. Above all, I met my incredible girlfriend here. Although this isn’t traditional college by a longshot, the thought that I am a buckeye fills me with the hope that I will have a better sophomore year and on. I like knowing that the possibilities that await me in the future are bright and numerous.

I never really believed in college burnout and just thought that it was like normal burnout, but I have never been more wrong. In a post-Covid world, the motivation to do anything immediately plummets, and I’m left struggling to do even small assignments. Classwork is extremely hard to keep up with and it all just feels like busywork. I need to be in a room dedicated to learning for me to pay attention to. I find myself easily distracted and not paying attention to critical lectures and various other zooms. I also struggle with meeting new people outside my circle and feel like I am not making that many new friends. Hopefully, this will turn around more when we can socialize in person.

I have achieved a good sense of time management and being able to research things and find answers to problems I have. Having a roommate and several suitemates gives you good people skills and lets you socialize with new and interesting people. I have gotten better at being able to see the big picture and looking at things long-term instead of individual moments. Inversely, I can enjoy important or special moments, because I know that the good times this year are few and far between. I don’t mean to sound morbid, but with the state of the world and more specifically Ohio, it’s hard not to be a downer more often than not.

My goal for the spring is to change some of my habits and get into a slightly better groove. I also want to get a better hold of my grades and work harder on things I am involved in. I want to meet as many good new friends as I possibly can and spending as much time doing what I love to do. I also want to spend as much time as I can with the people that are important to me. Above all, I want to just enjoy life and not feel as hopeless as this semester makes me feel. I know things will get better; I just have to wait.

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