Jacinda Webber

There was an undeniable energy in the air, a constant hum that carried me through my first fall semester. It was a sense of excitement — an electrifying momentum that made the unfamiliar feel thrilling rather than daunting. Between new names, countless faces and an endless list of things to do, Yale became synonymous with the idea of trying a little bit of everything. I’m not sure how I managed it all — balancing a newfound social life, navigating an unfamiliar campus and keeping up with the intensity of new classes. Looking back, I kind of see myself as a ticking time bomb, running on nothing but adrenaline. But at least I can say I had fun.

As I spent my winter break mostly confined in my childhood home, I became more and more excited about what else spring semester had in store. After two weeks was up, I no longer wanted to rot in my bed, endlessly scrolling on TikTok. I missed the late-night yap sessions in my friends’ suites and, surprisingly, the hilarious crash-out moments in the basement of Bass. Going home made me realize how much of life I have yet to experience and that there was still so much more waiting for me. 

But boom. One month into spring semester, and instead of all the new adventures I’d imagined, I was just tired. Like, so very tired. January started off great — I was motivated, approaching p-sets with curiosity and vigor and more importantly, brimming with social excitement. But instead of building off this momentum, all the energy I had in the fall quickly petered out. Where did it all go? Now, I’m left with too much to do and not enough time. I feel burnt out from this constant grind culture, but is it too early to feel this if it’s only my second semester here? I worry about how future semesters will turn out, but maybe I’ll look back at this moment and think, hey, it wasn’t that bad!

The weather doesn’t help either. Winter break provides a reset, but coming back to New Haven in January — when it’s cold, grey, and kind of miserable — can quickly suck the life out of you. Fall had that built-in novelty — new friends, new classes, new experiences — but by spring, the routine sets in, the coursework gets harder and the exhaustion from months of non-stop movement catches up. The long nights in Bass hit differently when it’s your fifth night there in a row and there’s still another p-set to do. Even social life slows down because people settle into their groups, making it harder to branch out to new people. 

It’s a weird feeling: the excitement of discovery being replaced by the weight of expectations. There’s now this unspoken pressure to have things more “together,” and when you don’t it’s easy to spiral into self-doubt or burnout.

It’s frustrating, but I think it’s also a phase. The initial energy might be gone, but that doesn’t mean it won’t come back. Sometimes, it just takes adjusting my approach — maybe scaling back commitments, prioritizing rest or finding new ways to make things exciting again. If anything, this slump is proof that I’ve been pushing myself, and maybe now’s the time to figure out how to sustain that momentum without burning out. At least, that’s what I hope.

Of course, I’m behind on sleep — as confirmed by my 4AM bedtime routine — no longer meeting new people and still don’t understand what’s happening in Math 120 — my midterm is next Thursday, send help. There are so many different aspects of my college life that I haven’t fully figured out yet, and let’s just say I need to get my life together, ASAP. If you see me in Bass looking confused about line integrals and vector fields, just know — I’m working on it.

Here’s to surviving — and maybe even thriving — through the rest of the semester!