I have always looked forward to going back to school after summer break every year. I always appreciated the return to routine and the feeling of doing something purposeful after spending the entire summer doing nothing. The crispness in the air while summer turns to fall, seeing old friends again, meeting new ones and the satisfaction of having pristine, color-coded school supplies in my bag.

Going into my junior year of college feels different. I don’t feel the excitement of brand new beginnings that came with being a freshman, or the anticipation of finally getting this college thing down that I felt as a sophomore.

Starting my junior year, I feel like I’m juggling far too many flaming bowling pins, and I’m already starting to drop them.

I’m scrambling to finish summer homework before the semester kicks off, and I’ll soon have a whole lot more to add to that pile. I’m worrying about having the motivation to finish the degree I started, and wondering if it’s even the right path for me.

Over the past few years, while at college, my life has gotten more complex. Now, I have to figure out how to balance my personal life obligations with my school obligations.

College summers aren’t like the carefree summer days of high school, where I had oodles of time on my hands. In high school, I was always going out of my mind with boredom by the time August rolled around. However, this summer has been spent maximizing my work hours while I still have the time for a job, and cramming fun activities into every other second of free time.

Between traveling and spending time with my family that I don’t get to see very often, I haven’t had a chance to have a single slow, sleepy summer day. I wish I could have had a week of doing nothing in order to reset before hitting the ground running for school.

However, it’s not all stress and anxiety. I may not be jazzed about the school part, but I am looking forward to coming back to CMU’s campus.

I’m excited about moving into a new apartment and putting up decorations, and I’m looking forward to seeing friends I haven’t seen all summer while also meeting new people. I’m excited to be back in Grand Junction and go hiking in the desert on the weekends and spending time outside.

I’ve desperately missed the coffee shops I frequent in town, and the way the light looks on the Colorado National Monument at sunset. I’m excited to be wrapped up again in the busy atmosphere of campus.

Fresh starts are always what I’ve loved most about starting a new school year, and that’s what I’m looking forward to the most this year. I have a bucket list of activities I want to do this fall.

The college experience is all about trying new things, and I want to make the most of this environment while I’m in it, when I’m not stressing about homework, of course.