A new semester calls for new stress

By Emma Cox
Collegian Columnist

A new semester is in full swing and a truck of stress has come with it.
This semester is completely different for me than my first semester at Hutchinson Community College, mostly because I was living on campus and was jobless those five months.
This semester, my brother and I decided that we should commute back and forth from Kingman to HutchCC and save more money. It turns out, fellow Collegian writer Amanda Carney certainly knew what she was talking when she wrote the article about her and her twin sister commuting from Wichita. I haven’t done all the math like she did, but I know I have saved a lot money from the dorm fees and the meal plans.
Now, I am living back in Kingman, and I got my old job back at our local grocery store.
Since I only have classes three days a week, I am able to work all the other days so I can have some form of income for gas and other necessities.
With being a full-time student and working a part-time job, I have ran into quite a bit of stress. I stress out a lot about finding time to cram all my homework in and study for any class I need to study for, and stay on track so I don’t get behind.
I usually take time when I get home from school to work on some of my classes, and because I procrastinate too much, I put off some of my school work till the next day.
I work typically 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., or 9-6, depending on the day, so when I get stressed I tell myself that I need time to relax and I will get to it later, and I usually do it later, surprisingly.
A lot of times, I don’t have time for friends, which sucks, but school is one of my top priorities, and they will soon learn that one when they get college as well.
More of my stress comes from work. I mostly work the dairy, but a lot of the times, I am needed on the register, carryout, grocery and, sometimes, but not too often, I help in the produce department. They have a lot of expectations from me, which I brought upon myself from working so hard. I shouldn’t complain about too much, but when few people pull their weight, a lot of it gets thrown on me, and I am learning to just roll with the punches and do what I need to do from the time I get there to the time that I leave.
Even with all the stress that I have endured, I still make it through each day. I will say that it is worth it, the stress I mean, because I know that I actually care about what I am doing and I have the right goals set for my future. I have come a long way from where I used to be, and I am proud of myself for each step that I have made that has led to progress.

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