In the grand scheme of things, the time we spend in college is a short, blissful few years that fly by too quickly, but are supposed to prepare us for the next 80 years of our lives.

That is a lot of pressure to put on our time here.

According to our professors, we need to spend as much time as possible immersed in our studies, only coming up for air to eat or sleep.

If our advisers have anything to say about it, every waking hour would be scheduled with RSOs and volunteer work.

Parents, only a phone call away, insist that our time outside of the classroom would be best spent at a part-time job.

Popular culture dictates that we party hard, sleep all day and study very little.

But what happens when juggling everything comes to a head near the end of the semester and we need to choose between sleeping, studying or working?

After four years, I can confidently conclude that it is physically impossible to do all three simultaneously.

If there was ever a time that quitting sounds like the best option, that time is now.

Netflix is singing its siren song to lure innocent, overworked students into total stagnation.

The too-short twin beds are starting to feel more luxurious than feather-top queens.

However, these problems are insignificant compared to the bigger picture.

So what, we have to work like crazy for four years?

There are definitely more serious problems in the world that having a job, classes and a social life that are sometimes difficult to manage.

As The Daily Eastern News celebrates its 100th anniversary, hundreds of alumni will be returning to campus to reconnect and share their own experiences in the field.

Eastern alumni and college graduates around the country are proof that it is possible to graduate from a university with sanity intact.

Now is the time to buckle down and push through the flood of exams, presentations and group projects that come in November.

The next month will be a test of perseverance and will, but those who conquer the last stretch of the semester will be one step closer to reaping the benefits of a college education.

Katelyn Siegert is a senior journalism major. She can be reached at 581-2812 or kesiegert@eiu.edu