The Observer, November 10, 2006
Volume XXXIX, Issue 10
Worst Case Scenario: Habits of Success
Midterms have come and gone and you still do not find yourself relaxed. Fall Break is a tease, tempting you to relax and let your guard down. Between Fall Break and Thanksgiving, there generally are not too many exams aside from leftover midterms during the tail end of the Fall Break week. Here are some things you might want to think about doing in the next couple of weeks that really do not have to do with school.
Catch up with an old friend at Starbucks or Arabica. Just think about someone you've lost touch with. Maybe you have moved off campus and your friend decided to stay in the NRV. Regardless, there is never a bad excuse to call him or her up and ask him or her to grab coffee. It's time to stop admiring those people who have all that free time to spend at a coffee shop on the couches when you're grabbing an espresso on the go and it's time for you and a friend to start being the couch rats.
Visit something that's free with a Case ID. You're paying tuition up the wazoo, so why not take advantage of it? There are many free art and cultural institutions you can visit for free with your Case ID. If you do not know which museums around the area are free (most are), just go on the Case website and figure it out. Isn't it time you had an off-campus excursion? I know it's easier said than done, but again, if you plan your studying properly and get everything in order, you should be able to kick it for night or two.
Plan a dinner night with some of your closest friends. There are so many options for this. And I'm not talking Quizno's or Rascal House. Half-price sushi at Sushi Rock. Dewey's Pizza. Somewhere else besides the school cafeterias. It's an opportunity for you to get all dressed up, and it's just another opportunity to get your butt off of campus. Isn't it nice to enjoy some good food once in a while? Can't afford it? Subject yourself to any one of the hundreds of economics experiments or science experiments that pay people for their time (and blood, if you're into that kind of masochistic testing).
Take a study break – play a prank. Don't say you got this idea from this column. I'm trying to graduate in May, so don't pin the responsibility on me for this one. Playing a prank can constitute pitting floor against floor of a residence hall, or better yet, as happened my freshman year, pitting the whole building against another building. We even called ourselves Ocean's 11; we may or may not still think that's cool. Here are some quick ideas: silly string, redecorating someone's room, taking their towel while they're in the shower, anything to do with Photoshop, etc. Use this opportunity to bond with other people whether it's your floormates or classmates. Just make sure the person or people being pranked will not take offense to what you are doing. Make it fun for everyone.
Ultimately, studying sucks. But what can lighten the academic stress is reading ahead, being prepared, and then being able to enjoy some of the study breaks and various other diversions I mentioned above. You'll be a happier person if you do some of these things. Best of luck with the post-Fall Break lull and remember to smile.
