Riding the Struggle Bus

So there's a phrase I've been hearing a lot lately. It's been posted on Facebook, mentioned in text messages, and murmured in the halls of GSE. If you're anything like me, you've never heard this term before: the seemingly ubiquitous "STRUGGLE BUS". When I first heard about this mythical vehicle two weeks ago, I pictured a cute little yellow school bus full of over-worked and over-caffeinated grad students, trying to find enough hours in the day to complete reading assignments, analysis papers, work projects, policy memos, and much more. And then I realized what it was all about - and it's way more than just school and work related! It's a combination of all of life's factors and challenges and obstacles raining on you at once. Some days this week I've felt more like I've been hit by the struggle bus as it flies down Walnut Street instead of a passenger on the bus. Some days it feels like I'm on a runaway struggle-train and I can't slow it down to get off until everything is completed...which never seems to happen.

Those days have been tough, but there are people all around me to keep me calm and sane on the journey until the stress and overwhelming times pass. It's comforting to know that I'm not alone. My cohort and I are in this together, and it's reassuring that when I'm struggling, at least I have company on the bus and we can help each other through things. I think the bus is sometimes unavoidable - it might be the only way to get from Point A to Point B, so the best we can do is accept it, endure the ride, and get off at the next stop!

Tips for an Easier Ride on the Struggle Bus

1. Try to get ahead in your readings and class work. This is often easier said than done, especially if you have more than one class each day. It's easy to let readings wait until right before class, but this often causes a lot more stress and other things inevitably come up during that time! Try to build in time to your schedule to complete your work, and allow yourself to do your homework a few days before class to avoid last minute stress. 

2. If you get ahead, stay ahead! If you're disciplined enough to finish your work early, try to stay on that path! In the long-run, things will be a lot easier on you. 

3. Form study groups. Grad students are always forming groups with classmates to review notes, collaborate and discuss readings, and provide support. Some classes provide a ton of reading and it's unrealistic to expect that one person can read all of it. Reading groups are popular at GSE where students split up the readings and get together in advance of class to provide summaries and share notes with each other. With this, everyone can be prepared to discuss the readings in class, but it alleviates a lot of time that would have been spent suffering through some readings. 

4. Find your "person" (or "people"). Even if you try to stay on top of everything, you will at some point need to vent or cry or scream or complain (or all of the above) and it's more satisfying to have someone to listen. That "person" could be a parent, sibling, partner/significant other, friend, colleague, or even better - another member of the cohort! Having someone to listen and understand more of what you're going through is super-helpful. 

Sorry for the sad and stress-filled post today. I just wanted to address what my cohort-mates and I are going through. It's not always sunshine and rainbows, but it's all going to be worth it, and I'm glad that even though I'm riding the struggle bus, I'm riding it here at Penn GSE!

Have a great weekend, everyone!