Waking up early in college can seem like the hardest thing to do. Staying up late, having a mountain of assignments, and pulling all-nighters can feel productive in the moment, until you realize it’s doing more harm than good. Use these tips to get your sleep schedule on track and help you wake up feeling refreshed and ready for the day ahead.

After months of hard work, Handshake doomscrolling, and awkward coffee chats, you’ve finally secured that coveted academic-year internship. While it may feel like you’re just starting out, you’re beginning to wonder, how long can I keep this up? The last few weeks might’ve looked like waking up at the crack of dawn, going through each day feeling like a zombie, and barely keeping up with your classes. The reality is, working an internship during the school year isn’t as glamorous as it may appear on LinkedIn. You might be struggling with this balance just as much as we are, or you’re weighing the pros and cons of accepting that offer for next semester. However you’re approaching your internship, here are the biggest challenges we’ve faced and a couple of ways you can work toward a balance that suits you.

It’s the end of the first month of school, which means you have received the results of your highly anticipated club applications. You may feel excited, disappointed, or honestly relieved that it’s finally over. Clubs at Columbia are notorious for being extremely competitive and impossible to get into with some boasting acceptance rates even more selective than Columbia itself. You put in hours of effort into crafting the perfect application, résumé, and going to countless coffee chats with people who are only one year older than you—and it didn’t work out.

August marks the beginning of a new chapter: your first year of college! Your emotions are probably scattered—there are feelings of excitement, nerves, and hope for what’s to come. As you hug your parents goodbye and settle into your new dorm room, you may begin to think about all the new people you’re going to meet, including your New Student Orientation Program group.

The end of the spring semester has finally arrived, which means it’s time for a bittersweet goodbye to our graduating seniors. While we have barely known them for two years, it feels like we’ve known them our entire lives.

With class registration right around the corner, it’s important to start building your fall semester schedule early. There are a wide range of classes to choose from, making it hard to narrow down the ones worth registering for. Here’s a list of some of Spectrum’s favorite classes you might want to consider.

You’ve been stuck in a horizontal position for days as the shades in your stale dorm room remain drawn to block out the sun. A Canvas notification from the class you are supposed to be in lights up the room: “Reminder: midterm #2 next class.” The sickness that’s been spreading around your dorm hall—the one you prayed you wouldn’t catch—has finally claimed you as its next victim and left you bedridden for what feels like an eternity. As you lie in bed sniffling, the mental list of all the school work you are falling behind on grows.

If you’ve ever sat down at Joe Coffee on a weekday afternoon, you’ve probably witnessed the uncomfortable sight of a coffee chat—the long, awkward pauses, the grasping to find something in common, the slight drop of some impressive internship. At some point in your Columbia life, chances are you’ll find yourself on the other side of that experience. These chats—an informal conversation that’s usually around 30 minutes—are common for student organization applications, Greek life big-little chats, or even just getting some advice from an upperclassman. Here’s your guide to perfecting the art of the coffee chat.

Room selection is right around the corner, and Barnard has made some updates that might be useful to note before housing registration. Here are some important changes to be aware of.

’Tis the season of love: happy couples, bouquets of flowers, and boxes of chocolate. As Valentine’s Day rolls around this year, I’m reminded that I still don’t have a Valentine of my own. But, if one thing remains certain, it’s my love for all of my galentines.