Photo illustration by Peter Caty/The Mirror Do you have too much on your plate?
Do you often find yourself overwhelmed with work?
Are you forced to drink coffee three or more times a day just to get by?
Do you belong to so many clubs or have so many jobs that you can’t often get anything done right or to the fullest it deserves?
If you have answered yes to any of these questions, consider yourself an overachiever.
I admit it, I’m an overachiever — but honestly, I’m only functioning within an apparatus that has serious problems with high expectations, grade inflation and don’t forget — an end-all goal to get a high paying entry level job. You’ve probably heard of this mysterious apparatus I speak of: college.
People are overprogrammed from childhood — thinking back, how many instruments were you taught? How many sports did you play? It only gets worse as you get older. You are told from everyone that nothing is ever enough. Someone will always be better than you. You better work on that resume. Honey, why aren’t you doing more clubs? You need extra-curriculars. And you better have a few internships under your belt. Oh, plus, don’t forget — you need straight As.
Especially as a senior, I probably have at least one conversation a day that involves life after graduation, whether it be about helping friends decide if they should do an internship to boost their resume, whether or not to quit a club after getting a new job (or vice versa), or if taking seven classes instead of four will really help you get a job. Plus, the stress that comes with the constant alerts in my own mind surrounding the fact that although I’ve had two internships, am involved in numerous clubs, and currently have five jobs, I’m still not guaranteed to have a job lined up when I leave Fairfield.
Scary? Tell me about it.
But honestly, being an overachiever is not a fun existence, and certainly isn’t healthy. I can attest, I’ve been so busy this semester that I never have time to work out, always eat terribly, constantly wake up tired, and barely get to have relationships with my friends and roommates. I don’t even get to enjoy my beach house.
I even remember in high school that while everyone was looking to suffer from senioritis, I worked harder in my senior year than ever before. Then, it shouldn’t be surprising that this semester has been more hectic than every semester prior.
But unlike high school, which I hated, I don’t want to leave Fairfield. As I’m still scrambling to get in applications for internships, a little voice inside my head is constantly saying that I should be spending my last semester here enjoying the last few months where I don’t have responsibilities and just simply can enjoy my friends before we enter the real world.
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