If you ever get a chance to take a class taught by Dr. Jean Stuntz in the history department, you will hear arguably the wisest piece of advice you’ll ever receive as a student:

October and March are the worst.

No, seriously.

Think about it.  Every big assignment comes due during those two months. That roommate you thought was just a little weird, but harmless, suddenly becomes too much to handle. If you are going to get homesick, this is when it would happen. You probably are not getting much sleep, you might be sick and the likelihood of you being tired of the food options on campus is at an all time high.

We have all been there and we will all continue to reach this point every semester. The most important thing, though, is how we as students can use this realization to get through these few key final months of the school year a little saner than the last time.

The first thing a student must do is breathe. That roommate who stays up way too late with the lights on and leaves her toothpaste lid off most likely has no clue that what she is doing is bothering you. It is usually safe to say that roommates are not trying to drive you crazy, even if it does seem like that sometimes.

This is where it gets sticky. You have to talk about those ugly, annoying things you have called emotions and feelings. Yuck. If you have a problem with a roommate, a teacher, even maybe a past friend or your own emotions themselves (anxiety is a legitimate issue that does not tend to show up until college, after all), you are not going to fix them by storing those issues inside. Students have access to counseling services that your fees already paid for. Use them. Talk to your residential assistants. Talk to your professors. Get things straightened out before the situation gets overwhelming.

The most important thing to point out here is that you are not alone. There is a reason that maybe not being able to find a parking spot sparks an outburst of a few choice words rather than a simple frown as you drive to the FUB to prepare for the shuttle bus. You might be irritable and exhausted, but you aren’t crazy and you certainly aren’t the first person to feel this way.

So take a breath and remember that even though we are in the heart of March, there isn’t much left until it starts to wind down into April. I promise we can all make it another week.