Transitions

There never seems to be a grey area when it comes to transitions. Meaning they either run smoothly or they are doomed from the get go- odds are always 50/50. So when transitioning from summer mode back to super- busy-semester mode how do you make sure the "odds are ever in your favor"?
This summer I took a leap of faith and applied for an internship in Alaska with the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center and much to my surprise was accepted into the competitive program. I jetted 4,000 miles, merely days after my last final exam of the semester, on a 16 hour trip that landed directly into a fast paced summer of living, laughing and lifting fifty pound feed bags. For the next three months, I lived with about 10 interns in a single-wide trailer and worked with about 18 interns from all over America. All but two interns (myself and a Hawaiian intern Claire) are still in school and knew when the summer was over it would be back to early mornings and mind numbing study sessions. Needless to say all summer we worked hard during the day and played as hard as the graduates come night time (which in Alaska is still daylight).
As the summer season began to close that familiar uneasy feeling of adjusting to a new set of classes and professors began to rear its ugly head. Reluctantly I began watching chemistry study sessions on my laptop as well as reading up on my classes and emailing professors. I'll tell you now this sort of preparation was new to me, but I was determined to be on my game this semester. It could have had something to do with getting to spend time with so many college graduates and/or having a roommate who actually cared wether I studied or not.
Whatever the reason, my transition into the coming fall semester has been my smoothest to date. Even with missing the first day of classes, thanks to another grueling 14 hour excursion, I don't feel like I'm stepping into the year blind and clumsy. It's like I always say, confidence will get you everywhere in life, well that and a strong wifi connection.