Columnist: Back to school is a slow, painful process

By Richard Johnson
Columnist

Each and every summer I go through a cycle. At the start of the summer I always am burning off leftover ambition from the end of the semester hustle. The shock of suddenly being free of the burdens of school leaves me bewildered and I keep wanting to study something or at least take a quiz. By the time June rolls around I am usually at peace with the notion that it is summer and begin to embrace the chance to bar-hop on weeknights, not worrying about being in Bloomington for an 8 a.m. class. In the blink of an eye, August arrives. The first week of August is traditionally the time when I begin to dread the impending school year. Thoughts of books and papers bounce around in my brain and torture me from the future. The week after however, is a time of acceptance.

I convince myself to come to terms with the fact that another school year is here and there isn’t much I can do about it. Before I know it, I actually begin to look forward to going back to school. About this time I start ordering my wonderfully expensive books and ponder how great it will be to go learn again. There’s a healthy blend of nostalgia and novelty each semester that I just can’t deny.
Once that magic spell wears of I come crashing back to reality and realize what a new school year really entails. Grumpy professors, malevolent mid-terms, homework, ten-page papers and of course, who could forget finals.
All those depressing matters of fact leave me needing one more double-shot of summer. Fortunately, when this happens there is usually a week to go before the first day of classes. That leaves just enough time to go on a reckless run of general trouble-making and is almost always sufficient time to burn out before returning to the doldrums of academia.
But inevitably, today arrives. The first day of the fall semester is as sobering as a stay in detox, although thankfully, the NCC campus is a slightly more welcoming environment.
New students will surely learn one important lesson about NCC on the first day. Parking sucks. For those who barely escaped high school or just aren’t very clever, the parking will stay horrendously awful for at least two weeks, so plan accordingly. Don’t worry though, once enough people drop their classes or decide to just quit going to them, the parking situation gets better. Just hang on until mid-terms and try to keep your hair in your head.
Those new to the college experience should also be made aware that skipping classes is the greatest feeling in the world, and the collegiate environment makes it all too easy. Save stupid absences for later in the semester though. The first few weeks are like gifts, as teachers slog through syllabi and class rosters shrink and swell.
One final suggestion for new students, don’t be shy and don’t be a prick. A lot of students show up with a full dose of senior pride still coursing through their veins. Welcome to stage one of that “real world” people talk about. Here, you are nothing. Get over yourself. Likewise, for the people who were more or less nothing in high school, now you’re just another one of us. Welcome to the party.
NCC students of old and NCC students of the future unite, here we go again.