Brain Dead

I am EXHAUSTED today!

After getting a full 8 hours of sleep last night, I am just DRAGGING. I worked hard yesterday during the final day of freshman orientation and registration at my university. I was just supposed to print out class schedules but have wound up doing actual student advising for the entire month of June!

Because yesterday was the final registration session of the summer, most of the freshman courses were filled and it took a while to get each student registered for classes. At one point, a girl I was helping started crying. I felt so bad for her. At each session, the students have been through a day and a half of a whirlwind orientation and the very last thing they do before going home is register for classes. They are dog tired and their brains so packed with new info their heads are spinning.

If I were just a normal temp in the registrar's office and not a recent graduate of my school, I would never be able to help out these kids like I have. I offered suggestions on cool classes to meet core requirements. I gave tips about my favorite professors. I eased worries by letting them know if their classes met in buildings close together or far apart. I told them where to find good pizza and coffee.

Even though I get frustrated sometimes, I really like helping out 18-year-olds. Because I've never been a parent, I don't see them as "just kids". Since I spent so many hours in classes with students half my age (or more), they became my peers. As a result, I think there is more of a give-and-take communication between us. Or at least I like to think so. Every once in a while, I am startled by their ignorance at a pop culture reference I make and have to remind myself of the difference in ages (and generations!).

But, sometimes the age-gap narrows. Like yesterday. One of my advisees hailed from Connecticutt. I asked her if she lived in "Stars Hollow" and she smiled and said "I love that show" I was so thrilled I could share a "Gilmore Girls" reference with an 18-year-old!

Thinking about that connection makes me smile and feel a little less brain dead.