Tufts Blogs

The freshman flu is not for the faint of heart. Granted, I do have a below-average immune system and have been called a “sickly Victorian child” by many in the past. But the freshman flu spares no one. I have yet to meet anyone at college who has not suffered from some bout of sore throat, stuffy nose, and watery eyes. That’s the good thing about being sick at college—there is no shortage of people to commiserate with.

The bad news? You will get it—it’s inevitable and if not the flu, then some other cocktail of symptoms. Strep, mono, sinus infection… the list goes on and on. But here’s the good news: you will get over it!

I assure you that I am an experienced veteran in this field. What are my credentials, you may ask? Well, I fell sick and lost my voice just three weeks into college and since then, my first semester at college has been characterized by an on-and-off cold, with my most recent diagnosis being bronchitis as of a week ago. In fact, I am sipping on a cup of hot tea with honey as I am writing this very blog!

I’ll be honest—before I even received my official diagnosis, I had realized that I was ill-prepared to deal with being sick away from home. Being sick at college presents a learning curve. I had no thermometer to check my fever, I had slim pickings in my medicine cabinet, and I had no idea what the norm was in college in regards to being sick while living communally and attending classes. But I think I have since fared my worst and am ready to share with you all how I have gotten through these dark times.

For the past week, my body has been a concoction of medications—Mucinex, DayQuil, Benzonatate, and a nasal spray for those of you wondering—my medicine box has been moved from the topmost and hardest-to-access shelf above my closet to my desk (where it has and likely will continue to stay firmly put), and I have not left my room with anything less than a handful a cough drops and a small box of Kleenex tissues in my bag. 

But what I’ve found is that for how miserable being sick at college can be, being sick at Tufts is surprisingly not the worst. After I ran out of medication, my friends and roommate generously donated some of their own. Plus, Tufts’ Student Health Service has been my best friend. I was able to make a next-day appointment using their online patient portal in just a few minutes! To my surprise, it was the most painless process. My dorm is just a 5 minute walk from the clinic and I was checked-in super quickly. My physician was incredibly helpful, thorough in my check-up, and considerate of the fact that I was a college student living in a communal dorm. And the nearest CVS pharmacy is just a 5 minute shuttle ride away in Davis Square! I can attest that even under extreme fatigue and with diminished lung capacity, the trip was more than manageable. And like I said earlier, there really is always someone else going through it as well. In lectures, there is always a symphony of coughs ringing through the room. My two other friends also came down with bronchitis, and I really couldn’t have gotten through the worst of my illness without being able to laugh over our sad states in camaraderie with them. We even went to the sauna at the gym for a detox (when we were no longer contagious or super sick, of course), which was so rejuvenating and relaxing! Everyone is very considerate and understanding as we’ve all been there ourselves. 

But if you’re really sick or contagious, take the day to rest! Many professors upload their annotated slides, and sometimes even a recording of their lecture. One of my professors even has a Zoom option so that we can join the class virtually instead! But even if these aren’t options for you, don’t be afraid of asking a classmate for notes or popping into office hours to meet with a teacher if you missed class. Everyone at Tufts is so forgiving and gracious—I have really leaned on my friends for advice and support while on my road to recovery. 

So I’ll leave you with this: from one chronically-sick college student to another, here are some must-haves that I would recommend bringing in your medicine cabinet or stocking up on…

• Aspirin, ibuprofen, or some type of anti-inflammatory and pain medication
• Antibiotic ointment
• Band-aids
• Eye drops and/or nasal sprays
• Decongestants and cough medicine—make sure to have non-drowsy options!
• Pepto-Bismol for a stomach ache
• Hydrocortisone cream for rashes or itches
• A heat pad—great for cramps!
• Emergen-C
• Lots and lots of cough drops
• Honey—I love adding honey to warm tea, but even if you don’t bring yourself, both dining halls have honey and a good selection of teas!

Photo Credit: Almer Yu