It’s the most wonderful time of the year.  No, I’m not talking about Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any of the other winter holidays.  I’m talking about course selection!  Registering for next semester’s classes is always an experience, to say the least.  What follows is a brief, mostly cynical and satirical synapsis of the course selection process:

1)    Your course selection date is announced: “Wait, what?  I have to register for next semester’s classes already?  But this semester just began!”  Yes, just as you are getting settled into the routine that you have established for the current semester, word begins to spread around campus.  Slowly at first, and nothing more than a faint whisper.  However, that gives way to more prevalent talk, until it emerges right in front of you: Brace yourselves: course registration is coming!

2)    You check what classes you still need to take: That difficult class for your major that you decided to put off last semester? Yeah, it’s still there, and still needs to be taken.  You ask yourself the age-old question: “Why the heck do I need to take this class?  It’s barely even related to my major!”  Well, sorry kid, but way back in history, some old guy thought that it was necessary for your degree.  You can fight it all you want, but you’re still going to have to take it.

3)    You attempt to schedule an appointment with your academic advisor: That person that always sends you emails about your degree?  The one whom you’ve hardly ever met before?  Yeah, they’re now your best friend, and hold all of the answers to your scheduling questions.  The problem is, your advisor is everyone else’s friend as well.  You desperately try to book an appointment, but your advisor’s schedule is completely booked.

This simple circle will bring you the most frustration you have ever experienced.

4)    You look at the times your classes are being offered: One of two things can happen.  1) Two or more classes that you absolutely need to take are only offered once, at the same time on the same days, or 2) your class is only offered once; at 8am.  You then look over and see your friends’ perfect schedules.  They’ve got all of their classes figured out, they don’t start early in the morning, and they have no classes on Friday.  This is also the time where you question why you chose your particular major and consider switching.

5)    Your course registration date has arrived: You finish class and race to boot up your laptop.  After dealing with WiFi issues, you log in to UDSIS and get to the course registration page.  You type in your classes.  Hooray, there are still available seats!  You click “add”, and start to celebrate.  But, something happens.  Your class isn’t shown as being successfully added.  You instead get an image that is colloquially known at UD as the “spinning wheel of death”.  It just spins.  And spins.  And spins.  You start to panic.  “What does this mean?”  “Why is this happening?”  Then you start to worry.  “Oh God, somebody is probably taking the last seat right at this moment!”  You might even shed a tear or two.  But, as all hope seems lost, the most glorious graphic you have ever seen pops up: You have successfully added this course.  Victory is yours!

Congratulations, you have survived your course registration ordeal!  You can go back to your ordinary life and not worry anymore…until next semester.

So, what keeps me up at night?  I will be honest with you: I do not think that this question pertains to me.  I can say with one hundred percent confidence that once my head hits the pillow after a tough day of classes, activities, club meetings, and homework, I black out and fall into a deep sleep that can only be disturbed by the oh so lovely sound of my alarm clock rousing me from my slumber six to seven hours later.  I’m not kidding; I do not wake up once I am asleep.  Last year, there was a big clunky box fan on the windowsill next to my bed.  When I was asleep, my roommate was climbing into the upper bunk bed when he somehow knocked the box fan over.  The fan hit the ground and burst into pieces, sending little chunks of plastic shrapnel all over the room.  All of this occurred while the fan was still spinning, and yet I slept through it all, and awoke to what appeared to be a murder scene the next morning.

So, as you can tell, sleep and I have a very good relationship, and for the most part I do not have trouble falling asleep.  However, I have noticed that lately I do a bit more thinking at night while lying in bed than I have done in the past.  Nothing to the point where I am drilling holes in the ceiling with my constant stare, but just enough to be noticeable.

I am considerably busier this year as compared to last year and I have taken on more activities and responsibilities within the UD community.  Being more involved helps broaden my college experience and gives me a sense of wellbeing and fulfillment.  Not to mention, all of the new skills I have developed and all of the new friendships I have acquired have been beneficial.  Be that as it may, I have noticed that on certain days when it seems that 24 hours cannot possibly be enough time to get everything done, I find that when I try to lie down at night (or more so than not, in the early hours of the next day), my mind will still be running ablaze with thoughts and ideas for my courses and activities. Here I am, just trying to recharge my mind and body for the upcoming day’s task and trials, and all my brain can do is focus on policy alternatives for the drug crime problem in Wilmington, or how to re-phrase the second paragraph of my DEconstruction magazine article, or how to articulate the melody of the latest marching band song.  I suppose this is my brain telling me that I need to take the time to unwind from the day’s hectic and busy tasks before I can slip into the deep sleep that I crave.