The first day of school used to be a huge deal to me. I can remember my mom having to practically sit on me as I snuggled under the blankets in my bed, a teddy bear tucked securely under my arm, squeezing my eyes shut, hoping sleep would eventually take over. It never happened; I was too giddy with the thought of starting school in just 12 short hours.

If only I still cherished those moments today. Now, don’t get me wrong, I really do love all my classes at SMU (with the exception of some science, math and philosophy classes), but the joys of picking out a new outfit for the first day back, arranging my gel pens by color and browsing the aisles of the grocery store with my mom for Lunchables are gone. Instead, the first day of school now consists of syllabi dictating the next four months of your life and professors who are convinced you are only enrolled in that one class.

So where is the disconnect? Maybe I’ve developed a premature case of Seniorits, or maybe nap time, recess and all the time spent playing games wasn’t so bad. When I was in kindergarten, I dreaded nap time. Who would want to sleep when you can play in dirt and watch movies all day? Now, I think it’s a safe assumption to say almost everyone would give a kidney for an hour-long nap every day. If we can’t get a full night’s sleep when balancing studying for exams, writing three 10-page papers and reading a 40-page chapter, can’t they make “nap time” a class? I’ll bet even if they offered it on Friday, SMU could see class attendance reach an all time high on what has become a quiet day on campus.

Back in elementary school, if you did something good, you got a star sticker. If you were really good, sometimes you got an extra cookie during snack time. Now, if you do something to “wow” the teacher, congratulations, you’ve landed yourself an extra assignment. Remember that 5000-level class you avoided at all costs (and not just because it started at 8 a.m.)? Bingo! You’re not automatically enrolled. Welcome to college.

At this point, my professors and classmates reading this are going to think I hate college and all my classes. Now, contrary to what you may think, I love every aspect of SMU. I love all my classes and the opportunities that have evolved from all my work. In fact, it has been so fun that I could technically graduate in December, find a job and become an “adult.” But where’s the fun in that? You think they offer nap time in the work force? It was hard enough to get days off from my summer internship.

I know all of us, especially seniors, sigh as we think about the upcoming work load, but look at it this way, we’re still kids … kind of. I guess you can create your own nap ime, after all, by this time, most of us know how to avoid the not-so-cool professors and classes.

So try not to let your mind wander back to this summer’s hot fling, focus on the repetitive syllabus staring you in the face and breathe easy. And hey, why not turn what was snack time into Happy Hour?