5am: My alarm screams at me to get up . I groggily search for my phone and turn off the song I used to love but now cringe at whenever it plays. I got as much sleep as a new mother last night, regardless it was time to start my long day. 530am: Why am I a swimmer? I wonder as I plunge into the deep, dark, daunting water for the first practice of the day. The icy water jolts my drained body awake. 630am: I rush to shower, change and get to school in time. I have three tests today in AP biology, AP calculus and AP psychology-what have I gotten myself into? My counselor calls me to her tiny office to discuss my future plans. Where will you go to college? What will your major be? Which scholarships are you applying for? I leave her office feeling broken, stressed and confused about what my life will be after I finish high school. 11:10am: Lunch would be a nice break but I have to start my homework and study. 2:50pm: Only a few more hours and I'll be home. Another two hour swim practice. We swam a total of 6.3 miles today-How am I still alive? I crawl out of the pool, barely able to stand up. 6pm: I'm home. I hastily grab some food and lock myself in my room to begin my piles of homework. Biology assigned 30 pages of reading and a worksheet, calculus assigned twenty-two problems, and psychology assigned 20 pages of reading and 10 flashcards. 9pm only calculus and 10 more pages of biology left. 10:15pm: I’m pleasantly surprised I finished all my work by a reasonable hour. While brushing my teeth I check my phone and notice a text from a classmate, “Did you turn in your essay for writing class?” My heart drops and I feel like I was punched in the stomach. I shuffle back to my computer to whip up yet another Mel-con essay, making sure to include aspects my teacher would agree with. 11:40pm: My fingers frantically fly across the keyboard as I attempt to finish my essay. 11:56pm: Three minutes before the due date, I reluctantly turn in my half assed essay. 12:07pm: My bed welcomes me like a mother welcomes her child home after months spent away in college. 12:30pm: I begin drifting to sleep, dreading tomorrow, knowing I will have to do this all again.