• Menu
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

College Magazine

College Life, Dating, Career & Campus Advice

  • Colleges
    • College Guides
    • College Rankings
    • Campus Life
      • Academics
      • Dating
      • Freshman Year
      • Health
      • Social Change
      • Party
  • Majors
    • All Majors
    • Most Popular Majors
    • Choosing a Major
  • Intern
    • Internship Directory
    • How to Get an Internship
    • How to Write a Resume
    • How to Write a Cover Letter
    • How to Interview
    • How to Network
    • Career 101
    • Find Your Passion Career
  • Money
    • How to Make Money
    • How to Save Money
    • How to Get a Job
    • Credit Cards 101
    • FAFSA
    • Ramen Project
  • Travel
    • Study Abroad
    • College Spring Break
    • How to Travel Cheap
    • Things to Do
  • Shop
    • Writer Course
    • College Magazine Shop
    • Gift Guides
    • College Packing List
  • Find your college or university
  • Colleges
    • College Guides
    • College Rankings
    • Campus Life
      • Academics
      • Dating
      • Freshman Year
      • Health
      • Social Change
      • Party
  • Majors
    • All Majors
    • Most Popular Majors
    • Choosing a Major
  • Intern
    • Internship Directory
    • How to Get an Internship
    • How to Write a Resume
    • How to Write a Cover Letter
    • How to Interview
    • How to Network
    • Career 101
    • Find Your Passion Career
  • Money
    • How to Make Money
    • How to Save Money
    • How to Get a Job
    • Credit Cards 101
    • FAFSA
    • Ramen Project
  • Travel
    • Study Abroad
    • College Spring Break
    • How to Travel Cheap
    • Things to Do
  • Shop
    • Writer Course
    • College Magazine Shop
    • Gift Guides
    • College Packing List
  • Find your college or university
  • About Us
  • Team
  • Write
  • Apply
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sign Up
  • Advertise
  • My Account
  • Cart

You are here: Home / Life / Freshmen / The ‘W’ on My Chest Does Not Stand for Wonder Woman

The ‘W’ on My Chest Does Not Stand for Wonder Woman

May 19, 2015 //  by Carm Saimbre

Shares58FacebookTweet

My freshman year of college was 100 percent worry-free: school was paid for, my parents brought me home-cooked meals whenever I asked and my social life was pretty sound. But as my first year of college came to a close, I wanted a little more. More money, that is. So I started searching for on-campus jobs.

Last spring, I was hired as a Community Assistant at one of several 24-hour service desks in the residence halls. That summer, I was also awarded Federal Work Study, so I found another job working as an Office Assistant in the English department.

By the first week of classes my sophomore year, yours truly was juggling two part-time jobs five days a week, on top of 17 total credit hours. I was Wonder Woman and I was soaring.

Until the end of September, when I was incredibly burnt out. It took less than a month for me to realize that I’d bitten off way more than I could even begin to think about chewing. I’d lost my cape mid-flight and I was in the middle of a dangerous free fall. But I wasn’t going to admit it.

The way the math had worked out, I was supposed to be studying for 11 hours on average every day—and that’s without counting class time. As a huge advocate of getting proper amounts of sleep, that number made me cringe.

Holding two jobs that required such different hours was also shock to my schedule, especially since I hadn’t worked as a freshman. My shifts could start at 3:00a.m. or 3:00p.m.—it depended on the day.

Time management and I had become mortal enemies because I had little time to manage. Sleep was a foreign concept. Sanity was out the window. My motivation had disappeared before I could catch it and I was constantly stressed. My free fall was accelerating at a terrifying rate.

If I wasn’t working, I was in class. If I’d skipped class (which happened quite a bit), I was catching up on homework. And if I wasn’t doing homework, I was compromising my academic life for a more social one. I’d fallen into an unhealthy cycle of shaving hours off my schedule, but not accounting for them later.

But I figured the semester would slow down at some point…right? I’d be able to play catch-up one weekend for sure…right?

Wrong.

In one of the scariest moments of my college career, I found myself sitting in the Mental Health Center, face-to-face with a reality I didn’t want to come to terms with: I was at rock bottom. I’d fooled myself into thinking I could handle everything and the truth was, I couldn’t. My cape-less free fall ended with a horrendous face plant.

Not only was my job performance suffering, but my grades were on the rocks and my mental health was in the worst condition ever. For the first time in my life, stress was making me physically sick. I spent many afternoons and nights crying instead of going to class. At my lowest point, I considered taking the spring semester off, possibly longer.

I wasn’t sure whom to turn to—I’d done a pretty good job of masking my free fall as a new way of flying. In reality, I was flailing helplessly.

The woman I spoke with at the Mental Health Center told me I needed to cut back somewhere and suggested leaving one of my jobs. There simply were not enough hours in the day for me to do everything I was trying to do and be fully functional.

But where was I supposed to cut back? At the time, giving up either of my jobs sounded like a horrible idea. The thought of leaving my Community Assistant job upset me greatly because I adored my co-workers, and I knew I wouldn’t be any happier or less stressed if I left. Walking away from federal work-study wasn’t too appealing, either.

So I took a hard look at my course load.

For the first time ever, I withdrew from a class. My grade in the class was a dismal ‘D’ and the workload was overwhelmingly high. After running my decision past my academic adviser, the dreaded ‘W’ found a home on my transcript.

As someone who prides herself on her academics and her intelligence, withdrawing from a class was a hard slap in the face. I beat myself up about it for weeks. In my books, it was a loss.

But even Wonder Woman had to learn the difference between what’s manageable and what’s necessary. She had to earn that ‘W.’

Shares58FacebookTweet

Filed Under: Freshmen High School Life Long Reads

About Carm Saimbre

Born in D.C., raised in Maryland, heart set on the world. Junior broadcast journalism major at the University of Maryland. When she’s not in class, Carm enjoys diving into a good book, supporting the Terps, or taking D.C. trips on a whim.

You May Also Like

friends posing together

The First Week Friend Group and My Journey to Forever Friends

Away from Home and Feeling Gross: Being Sick My Freshman Year

two women smiling and laughing

Goodbye, Awkward Small Talk: 10 Ways to Get to Know Your Roommate

Do More To Get More: My Philanthropy Journey at Penn State

A Journey to Home Through a College Acceptance

Why I Love Being The Little Fish In The Big Pond

graduate

To Decide or Not to Decide: The Paradox of Choice in College Decisions

TV to Teacher: When My Life Plans Took a Different Direction

The Worst Dorm Room Gave Me My Best Memories

introvert

Introverts Don’t Need A Cure, But We Need Confidence

teens sitting together laughing and studying

15 Surprising Benefits of Attending Community College

double life

Living a Double Life: Life as a First-Generation Student

My Most Important College Experience Was No College Experience

Not Everyone Tasted A Bar of Soap Growing Up and That’s Okay

No, Mom, I am NOT Going to UF

young men at the beach

10 Rites of Passage for Your Freshman Year at USD

The Dangers of Being an Overachiever All Your Life

“Where are you from?” — How to be from Nowhere

How Not to Take Your College Final Exams

virtual friends

Quarantine Tips: 10 Ways to Make Virtual Friends Freshman Year

window

Tales of a College Freshman Introvert

I Don’t Cry: My Great Airport Meltdown

How I Manifested My Entire College Experience

The Truth About Reinventing Yourself in College

Previous Post: « Why Going to School at Home Was the Best Decision I Ever Made
Next Post: 8 Reasons to Get Off the Couch This Summer »

Primary Sidebar



Trending Posts

climate change protest
335

Top 10 Colleges Where You Can Make A Difference in the Climate Crisis

226

The 10 Best Organizations You Should Donate To in 2021

coffee w heart
11

A Barista’s Guide to Making Delicious Coffee Drinks at Home

6

5 Reasons Why You Should Become a Morning Person in 2021

2

Keeping Up with the Coronavirus: How is it Spread?

Featured Chapter: UCLA

Footer

logo

College Magazine is the national daily guide to campus life. Our articles for college students feature university rankings of U.S. colleges, college guides, academic advice, college prep, career advice, student health and collegiate dating tips.

Written by students for students, by a team of journalists from universities nationwide, we’re on the pulse of the college experience.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Colleges

  • College Guides
  • College Rankings
  • Campus life
  • Academics
  • Dating
  • Freshmen Year
  • Health
  • Party

Majors

  • All College Majors
  • Most Popular Majors
  • Choosing a Major

Intern

  • Internships Directory
  • How to Write a Resume
  • How to Write a Cover Letter
  • How to Interview
  • How to Get an Internship
  • How to Network

Money

  • How to Make Money
  • How to Save Money
  • How to Get a Job
  • Credit Cards 101
  • College Loans

Travel

  • Study Abroad
  • College Spring Break
  • How to Travel Cheap
  • Things to Do

Shop

  • College Packing List
  • Gift Guides
  • About Us
  • Team
  • Write
  • Apply
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sign Up
  • Advertise
  • My Account
  • Cart

Copyright © 2021 College Magazine · All Rights Reserved · Powered by BizBudding Inc.