If I recall correctly I had this dream on the night of the 23rd, the day before our first day of class here at CMU. I was particularly nervous about classes the following day mainly because from what I had heard at orientation, the schooling process here as opposed to where I from were a whole lot different. The Dream : I woke up to the blaring of my alarm clock only to find that I had overslept to the point where I had to sprint from my dorm on the hill down to my introduction to chemical engineering class at Doherty Hall. Late by only a couple of minutes, I had to make an embarrassing scurry in front of the entire class and faculty to the only vacant seat in the last row of the class. After getting my fare share of smirks and unnecessary glances from my classmates, I managed to settle down and catch up with the material I had already missed. Throughout the class I struggled to keep up with professor not sure when to write down what he was saying or just to listen, and constantly having to peak into another person's notebook. However, towards the end of class, the professor announced that it was time to give our presentations. I was utterly confused, after asking the person sitting next to me I found out that the professor had posted a homework assignment on blackboard asking us all to prepare a presentation on our hopes and aspiration in the chemical engineering field. Unfortunately, the next thing I remember is standing in front of the entire class getting laughed at and receiving disappointed stares from the members of the faculty.
-- Edited by 102intro on Sunday 30th of August 2009 09:32:13 PM
Your anxiety about CMU is portrayed explicitly in your dream. You may be intimidated by the challenges you may be facing and unsure about the future that you have planned. Being late may symbolize that you are insecure in your abilities to overcome the obstacles that you will face in a new environment. The scene where your classmates and professors laugh at you and the fact that you feel embarrassed may indicate that you are unready or that you feel unworthy. You seem overwhemled, confused, and doubtful of your adapting to a new environment and your ability to succeed. I actually had a similar dream where I was late to my first day of classes. Unlike your dream, I hope your days at CMU are going well!
The dream on a whole shows your nervousness about starting CMU and college itself. Missing the alarm clock may represent your fear to be late and miss a class. You seem worried about other students view of you. The presentation being due and you not knowing about it may be an indication that you're too focused on being scared you won't be fully prepared for your classes and worry that you may have to struggle to keep up.
I think that your stress about being a student here is very well portrayed in that last part where you found out that you had to make a presentation. It seems like your dream definitely was preceded by the amount of stress. The fact that you had to make a presentation can represent your unpreparedness for class. I feel like that can also represent the fact that you will have to grapple at your will to stay calm, to go with the flow, and to manage your tasks well.
