Time at NCSSM

By Julia Woodlief, Stentorian Staff Writer

60 seconds in a minute, 60 minutes in an hour, 24 hours in a day, 365 days in a year. This is how time works and it has functioned the same way since the beginning, but for some reason it never seems to do so here at NCSSM. It’s already the second quarter, and the semester is almost over. How? Between studying, socializing, and generally going about a typical school day, it can become extremely overwhelming to do everything there is to do in a school such as NCSSM. Google calendars may help people stay on track with their schedules, but calendars don’t run time. It is a constant flow with an unsteady current, which makes time here the fastest and slowest that anyone here has ever experienced.

“One lab block will feel like five hours, but the time to do your homework feels like 30 seconds,” stated Maggie Windmeyer, a current junior. “If I did everything I wanted to do here, I would not have any time to do anything else. No homework would get done, so I’m having to turn down opportunities that I want to do, like hanging out or playing ping pong, to get the stuff done that I have to do.”

Any school has its challenges when it comes to managing time, but this school in particular is difficult to adjust to. Maggie’s view of how time seems to flow here is shared by many. There are so many opportunities and so many ways to get involved across campus that it can be difficult to manage and wade through time’s unsteady current and challenges. The use of calendars can help students stay on track with work, class, and activities; however, extra hours cannot be added to a day, and a limit still remains on the amount of activities that one student can do. The compactness of schedules and events can make everything seem like a blur, yet in the moment everything seems to move at the pace of a snail. This can be true in any situation and environment, but something feels different here. Something is off about the movement and function of time at NCSSM. 

The rapid speed of the school year is one example of how time fails to flow correctly here. It feels as though everyone just moved into school, yet it is the second quarter. Move in was a few weeks ago, yet college and leadership application deadlines are here or soon approaching. Time is a mystery. For the time being, it is one yet to be solved in the NCSSM community.