Is busy-holic even a word? Hello, class. My name is Nicole, and I’m a self-diagnosed busy-holic! When I’m not arriving fashionably late to important events, I feel like I’m staring into an abyss occupying no purpose whatsoever. Am I the only one? My mind always seems to be moving a mile a minute, and I’m always looking for something to do.
As one might imagine, my life as a busy-holic didn’t begin when I entered college.
In my four years at Notre Dame Academy High School in Staten Island, I certainly found too many ways to keep myself busy. As a member of six clubs (in which I served on the e-board for two), three drama programs, chorus and God knows what else, sometimes I wonder how I managed to hold my life together!
And the craziest part—as much as I yearned to find the time to rewatch The Office for the 30th time around—I wouldn’t want it any other way.
I absolutely loved leaving my house at 6:30 AM and arriving home at 11:00 PM with boatloads of assignments and tests the next day. It makes me sound psychotic, but that’s the truth.
I enjoyed every minute of it!
When touring colleges throughout high school, I knew I needed to attend a university that offered organizations I felt interested in. I wanted to make the most of my college experience, and I felt that the best way to involve myself in a campus community would be through extra curriculars. And so, when I received my acceptance letter to St. John’s, I applied for the Catholic Scholars Program and got accepted! I’m honored be involved in such a wonderful group of Catholic leaders on campus.
When I started college nine short months ago, I subconsciously rebooted my busy schedule faster than the Outer Banks got picked up for a second season. Almost immediately after attending the class of 2024’s virtual orientation at St. John’s University’s Staten Island campus, I followed all the clubs and organizations on Instagram. I joined their first meetings on Zoom, hoping to fully immerse myself in the magic of college.
I now realize that “magic” might not a term many people associate with college—but as stressful as the incessant tests and papers may be, us college students find ways to liven up our weekends. As I am now entering my sophomore year with a great virtual understanding of St. John’s, I still didn’t visit on campus.
Oh, the joys of living through a pandemic!
But that’s a story for another time.
You might wonder how I managed to thrive as a busy-holic during a literal pandemic. I mean, quite literally, you could only do nothing but sit around and cry. But don’t you fret—I somehow found a way.
First and foremost, if my future children ever complain about their “boredom” in front of me, they will receive a long lecture about living in quarantine as an 18-year-old. I’m sure they’ll never feel “bored” again. The next generation will never understand the capacity of boredom us Gen Z’ers felt. We all had way too much time on our hands. I for one adopted too many hobbies—I learned to play guitar, exercised a lot, made complex bracelets out of string, listened to new music and podcasts, got a job in retail and read tons of books.
My proudest achievement? I binge watched eight seasons of The Vampire Diaries twice in the span of six months! Now that’s impressive. When the fall rolled around, I knew that I unfortunately wouldn’t maintain enough time to devote another five months of my life to Damon and Elena. Such a shame.
And so, I logged onto my college classes from my bedroom and sat at my desk for what felt like 24 hours a day.
I met all of my classmates and peers on Zoom and knew their faces and voices only through the screen. As I enter my sophomore year, I am now secretary of the English Club, events coordinator in the St. Vincent De Paul Society, and a member of Theta Phi Alpha sorority, Oxfam and Forever Friends. I am also working at St. John’s Writing Center in the fall.
Even when there’s practically nothing to do, something new can always be learned or explored.
As we transition out of this semester and into the summer, I find myself reflecting on my first year in college and realized that I still had many outlets to express my creativity and get busy! I still somehow managed to enjoy this unique year, even though all of my professors and peers nearly unrecognizable faces will greet me when I meet them in person in the fall. I can’t wait to carry on with my college journey as a busy-holic!
