The annual question has arisen once again- am I getting sick or is Spring playing it’s first trick on me? Getting sick at college is by far one of the worst things that can happen to you. Not only do you feel horrible, but you’re 100% alone in your misery. Friends can come to check in on you and drop off food/medication, but at the end of the day, you’re still the one who can’t sleep at 3am waiting for the sun to rise. Your parents can call you everyday but realistically you can’t hold an intelligible conversation for more than five minutes without repeating questions over and over. Your only option is to return to your bed and lay looking at the ceiling until you start to feel good enough to look out your windows.

Then again, you could just be experiencing one of the first signs of seasonal allergies. Your stuffy nose, sore throat, and weird headache could be your bodies response to the cute little flowers that have began to peek their heads out through the dirt. Unfortunately for you, you’re unable to really enjoy the magic of spring because the moment you step outside you sneeze so violently you get rocketed back inside. You convince yourself that you have a cold because otherwise you feel silly for letting your ~*allergies*~ to control that much of your life. Trying to stay away from everyone in case you get them “sick” your allergies last the entire season, and only towards the end do you realize your mistake.

If you’re like me you could also be experiencing a little bit of both- a double whammy that only comes once a year! Not only do you feel like someone’s replaced your brain with cotton cloth, but you feel like your body is super sensitive to every little amount of pain. Is your room a few degrees too cold? Instantly you’ve become an icicle. Did you have a harder time than normal swallowing? It’s because your throat is closing up and you’ve got about 5 minutes to get some Benadryl in you. Regardless you’re gonna feel out of it completely and you might as well be able to breathe.

Now, chose which one of these applies to you, mix it in with classes, social life, health habits (such as eating and sleeping). Added mix ins include jobs, post-graduation plans, midterm exams, and/or Dorm Leadership positions. Overall am experience that you don’t want to experience, but you’re gonna have to at some point.