Took A Big Bite, Now How Well Can I Chew?

I came into this semester knowing it was going to be probably the most intense, frustrating, stressful and crammed semester of my college career. That's what I've come to expect after watching so many of my friends suffer through the grind that is B2. However, nothing could have really prepared me for just how crazy this semester is shaping up to be. I have a double major (Broadcast Journalism as well as Political Science), and I am just one last class away from finishing my Poli Sci degree. Unfortunately, this class is fairly reading intensive and somewhat time consuming. However, that is the least of my worries. I am also a Film Studies minor and once again I am only one last class away from completing that as well. I've had my current teacher before and I really enjoy him and his classes, however this one involves a TON of reading compared to previous film studies classes that I've had. In addition, we have to take a couple of hours out each week to watch the movie for that week, so that class is taking up a lot more of my time than expected. Finally, my last general requirement was to take an upper level history course. I really like the course (it's on the Crusades); I find it fascinating. But we're reading six history books cover to cover throughout the semester and we have random reading quizzes. Throw in the fact that with my brother heading off for his freshman year of college and for the first time while being at school I had to get a job to help pay for some of my tuition, and needless to say I am feeling a bit overwhelmed this semester.

I started off a week behind at KBIA (through no one's fault but my own), and I am having a very hard time catching up. I have been struggling week to week to try to find and turn stories within the few short hours I have to spare at the radio station. This week I am actually working on three stories and hopefully I will be all caught up by Friday, if not even a little ahead of the game. I am doing two medium Q&A interviews that Sara wanted done for one of the segments as well as working on a feature piece about Iraq war veterans and health care problems they are facing since returning to the States. Basically whenever I have more than one free hour at a time I'm trying to head to the station as often as possible to get some work done, but even that is not proving to be enough. I'm going to have to start coming in early in the mornings, however that has not proved to be very useful in the past since no one is up or willing to talk at 6:30 AM.

I'm not sure exactly how I'm going to stay on track throughout the semester, especially as test weeks and Homecoming are looming just over the horizon with promises of much more work outside of B2 to come. However, I'm going to try to take your advice from lecture today, minimize my stress, keep my head down and do my best. I am very confident in my abilities to perform well at finding and putting together quality radio stories; what I'm not so confident in is my ability to get all the things that I need to get done finished in time. This week I have two interviews arranged and I am still wating to hear back from several prospective sources on the veterans' story, so we will see how it all turns out. With any luck the ball will start to bounce my way and I can get back on track with this hectic semester.