The end of the semester hits you like a brick wall, and the sad part is that you’ve seen it coming the whole year.

I knew back in August that by the time October finally rolled around I would become a candidate for this semester’s Most Valued Procrastinator (MVP for short). It would start with a simple two-hour delay on a quiz that I needed to study for. It would slowly progress to a few other assignments being forgotten, so that by the time November hit I was running break neck into that brick wall, trying desperately to make up for my complete idiocy in October.

This semester, I’ve been trying to balance school, two on-campus jobs and an internship. I’ve also been knee deep in the muck that is called “job hunting” while simultaneously attempting to plan a June wedding. I’ve lost touch with my friends, the gym and my sanity.

Now I can finally understand why cartoons of happy, skipping freshmen and defeated, hunched over seniors are so popular in college.

Freshman year was so blissfully wonderful. I miss the days when I showed up to class exactly 15 minutes early, with a cup of coffee in one hand and my planner in the other. I miss the days when, after I finished studying for a test two weeks out, my next biggest concern was finding some quarters so I could actually have clean laundry.

A trip home this weekend made me realize it’s not too late for me to retrace my steps and take a leaf out of freshman Corinne’s book, though.

For one, most freshmen have a lot of motivation their first year. I knew the next four years would determine how my future employer would view my work ethic so I studied nonstop. I strategically planned out my semesters so that by the time senior year came about, I could remain altogether “unstressed.”

Second, freshmen prioritize. I set little reminders for myself to study for an hour a day on each subject I had — even if we just had a test. I knew some friends who had planned their week similar to what our parents would do — Monday was laundry day, Tuesday was grocery day, Wednesday was church day, etc.

Third, freshmen actually make time for themselves. I made time to eat a full meal, go to the gym twice a day, take a nap and make plans for a fun weekend with my friends.

Freshmen are happy, unstressed little overachievers for a reason, and it’s because most of them haven’t let reality scare them away from what’s really important.

Not counting Thanksgiving break, there are two weeks left in the semester. That’s two weeks to level down with reality and prioritize again. While I may look like a pessimistic senior on the outside, I’m going to take the time and learn from the freshmen I see around campus and become more optimistic.