The leaves are starting to fall. You packed up your clothes and other belongings and moved back onto campus. Stores are rolling out their “Back to School” displays and classes are starting soon.

Everywhere around you, the sad realization that summer is ending and school is beginning hits you. For some people, like myself, this is a bittersweet feeling. While I look forward to the new classes on my schedule and seeing my close friends again, I cannot help but shed a tear or two over the fact that summer, the beautiful weather, the freedom it brings from school and the time I get to spend at home is over.

Though it is always somewhat of a challenge transitioning from summer to back to school, one must look at the upcoming academic year and the promises it will bring. Each fall, I have always thought, is kind of like the New Year. It is a fresh new start, and a clean slate. It means new classes, professors and possibly a new place on campus you will call home. You get the feeling of hope. An endless stream of opportunities, and yes, challenges, will be presented to you.

Opportunities to step outside your comfort zone and join a club or two, opportunities to learn new things, and as corny as it may sound, make new friends. The challenges, of course, are not always the fun part, but they can sometimes be the best.

As most of us are aware by now, all parts of life are filled with challenges, both big and small. You might find yourself in a class with a tough professor or material that makes you feel like you are in over your head. If you are having no trouble in the academic department, you may face a hardship or two in your personal life.

Maybe you and your roommate are not the perfect match and just do not click. Or perhaps you are hitting a rough patch with a friend. The good thing with any of these scenarios is they all have solutions.

When it comes to classes, make it a point to try and get more than three hours of sleep at night and get to class on time. Try to be as organized as possible, maybe even get a planner you can use to remember special dates in class. Making friends with some of your classmates allows you to have someone that will share their notes with you on a day you miss and can help form study groups when it comes time for exams. Of course, if it is an especially difficult class, you and your fellow classmates might benefit from forming a support group to get you through it.

There is always the Learning Center at the library, too. By pushing yourself and working hard you will find yourself being able to pass that “impossible” class and feel a sense of pride and accomplishment in doing so.

If you and your roommate are having issues, try talking it out first, and if it seems as though it is just not working, consider talking to them about possibly rooming with different people next semester. As for that friend you are having problems with, sometimes it just takes a good, long, face-to-face conversation with this person. In some cases, it may be best to just cut ties and move on.

So as long as you are able to manage your time by making classes a top priority and you have a decent support system, including friends who act as both your confidant and therapist, everything will be just fine.

The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the writer and are not representative of The Slate or its staff as a whole

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