Student Blogger: Lauren Knight

Few things will get me out of bed for an 8am class like the promise of a cup of coffee afterwards.

Dear incoming freshman, Congratulations on committing to your college! I'm sorry that this isn't the way you expected to start your college career. I'm happy for you, regardless. 

Being in the theater community right now has been a lifeline for many students. Creators have banded together to produce some incredible works within the confines of a shelter-in-place, providing a sense of normalcy for many theater students. We may not be able to go to the theater or attend our normal classes, but there is plenty going on in the theater community for collegiate theater students to engage with and learn from. For many, it's what is keeping them sane.

1. You're doing full monologues in pajamas

The end of the term is approaching. I know, prime time for being exhausted, stressed, and over it. I'm one 10-week quarter away from summer, and I'm at the point where I can't imagine doing this all over again after spring break.

I don't know what it was that made last week so hectic. Maybe it was the craziness of midterms, maybe it was the stress of being back in tech, maybe it was Mercury in retrograde or whatever. All I know is that I couldn't have prepared for the chaos of last week if I tried. In the midst of all of the insanity, I found that I had to plan my schedule for spring quarter, and in doing so, I genuinely contemplated what (if any) drama classes I would enroll in. I know that feeling burned out is temporary, but it weighed strongly on me when I thought, what if I just decided to take Literary Journalism electives and phase out of the Drama classes?

At some point in college, pretty much everybody has a moment where they wonder, am I over this? Some switch their major, some stick it out and hope that feeling passes, and I'm here in the middle of all of it to admit: I'm burned out. My acting class is a struggle, I'm unable to focus, and there have been days when my alarm goes off for my 8am class and I truly contemplate dropping Drama and just sticking with Literary Journalism.

This past Monday, I stood outside of a towering glass building, glancing from the map on my phone to the facade of the theater that almost glittered in the mid-afternoon sun. That's the entrance, right? Is that the right set of arts administration offices? As I passed my favorite sculpture in the plaza, I tossed my lipstick-stained coffee cup in the trash, looked over my resume one last time, and walked toward the glass doors tucked away behind a thick cluster of trees. This has to be it.

You've probably read enough 'new year, new me' clichés to last you a lifetime, so let me spare you. No, I don't think I'm starting off 2020 as a completely changed woman. We're in the middle of the school year, and I really don't think there is much that can change overnight and magically transform me just because 2019 ended. However, I do believe that 2020 has the potential to bring forth opportunities that can lead to a change for the better in my personal well-being and success.

I jumped at the opportunity to join the scenic crew of one of UCI's mainstage productions. Three days before tech, I replaced someone who dropped out, and when I looked at the tech schedule, I realized that tech rehearsals began on Friday. My Thanksgiving break lasted about 24 hours, and luckily enough, I live less than an hour from campus, so I was fortunate to be able to go home for Thanksgiving.

As the quarter rounds out to a close in the next two weeks, the stress of final assignments slowly creeps up on everyone. Being in the arts school means that often times, there are not really any final exams; instead, most final grades consist of scenes, monologues, or any other type of performance-based evaluation. I have almost all of the above. I am three production papers, one scene and a 10-minute play away from winter break, and let me tell you, it's getting to me.

At the end of last week, the schedule of courses for winter quarter came out, also known as The Week That Lauren Freaks Out For A Solid Five Days Over Which Courses To Enroll In. As a third-year, I am fortunate enough to be nearly done with my required courses for my major, so I now have the flexibility to take more courses that are not necessary for graduation. For both Literary Journalism and Drama, I am required to take upper division electives in each department.

I am not a morning person. When I told my best friend that I would be taking an 8am acting course this quarter, I remember him laughing in my face. The thought of me getting up early to go to class is pretty comical. I thought I'd despise 8ams way more than I actually do. There's something kind of great about an 8am course that I couldn't quite put my finger on until now: I'm just too tired to care.

UC Irvine's drama department has this fun little policy that if you're absent twice, your grade drops a?" of a letter grade and two tardies count as one absence. You're officially tardy the second the clock strikes the hour. For me, the graduate student teaching my acting course takes roll at 7:59am. I'm usually ridiculously early to everything, but even I scoffed at this policy. You're late if you are in the classroom at 8:00am? According to the person who determines my final grade: absolutely.

Whether you came into college with someone you know or let your university work their roommate matchmaker magic, odds are you are living amongst people with a lifestyle and interests similar to your own. Going into my third year of college, I opted for a random roommate in an on-campus apartment. When I got my roommate assignment, I stared in total disbelief at my computer screen: my 'random roomie' was my good friend Kate.

In my first journalism course, my professor would bring in the best of her graduated students to guest lecture once a month. I sat in the front row with my jaw on the floor as they flipped through PowerPoints of their journey to where they are now: The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, you name it. There was always an alumnus that would walk into her classroom with a bright smile to give Professor DePaul a big hug and talk to her current students.

For all of my terrified freshmen out there, this one's for you. My stomach has been in knots for a week thinking of my first day of class on Tuesday, October 1st. Here's the thing: I'm a junior at the University of California, Irvine, but I feel like a freshman all over again as I step onto the arts campus as a new student there. After 2 years of overthinking, I decided to go for it and tack on 'Drama' to my Literary Journalism degree; let me tell you, I'm about as nervous as can be.