Bundled up at my internship. The reality of working in a TV studio. Photo Credit: Lawrence Benedetto

Sot it’s my last semester of grad school.

The home stretch.

The light at the end of the tunnel.

My third round of having a senior year, well…kind of.

So with this being like a senior year, why should anything be different?

Well, I’m here to tell you, it’s not.

Senioritis. Is. Still. Inevitable.

And boy am I speaking from experience.

I came into this semester telling my parents, “This is my third time as a senior. I am going to live it up and enjoy it. I’m not going to wish it away. I’m not going to be as stressed. I’m going to work hard, but actually take time for myself.”

Lies. Lies. All lies.

Well, not everything. I am definitely enjoying myself, having a lot of fun and making sure I set aside “me” time at least once a week.

Oh senioritis…how you put a damper on my work ethic.

I’m stressed. I’m procrastinating, somewhat. That’s not like me. But I’m at that point where I just want to be done.

But then I have mixed feelings because I’m not ready for it to be over, and I canNOT believe I’m only two months from finishing my master’s degree. I feel like I just started at Columbia.

So Danielle, if you’re not ready for it to be over, then how can you be wishing it were over?

Well, it’s because I’m interning right now. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my internship. Working in the studio, writing scripts, helping the producers, brainstorming segment ideas, researching and writing stories and all of it is sports content.

THAT is why I’m ready to be done, especially with the homework part.

Now don’t get me wrong, I have been one that has always loved school. I loved my experiences here, the stories I’ve been blessed to have covered and where I am headed. I am enjoying the thesis process—despite the amount of stress I feel, like a ticking time bomb just waiting to explode into freak out mode—but it’s great, I’m finding lots of crucial info in my research and interviewing some great people.

But now that I’ve had that taste of working in a journalism setting day-to-day, I’m ready to get my career started.

So here I am at the crossroads of not wishing it away and embracing what is left.

I think no matter how much experience you have, expectations of what to expect and knowing how you typically respond, it’s still hard to adjust and not let those thoughts and actions overcome you.

D*** you senioritis, but alas, I will get through this. I may end up bald from pulling my hair out, but I will get through this, and I am looking forward to that moment.

Come on December 13th…