Feeling like a true student...

For the past five weeks I've been attending classes and reading journal articles and excerpts from books to prepare for discussions, but I haven't really felt like a student. I don't know how to explain it, except that maybe school just hasn't been as rigorous and demanding as I remember it being or as I expected it to be. However, all of that changed recently with the addition of essay writing. I have one essay due at the end of this month and another due at the end of next month, which doesn't sound too bad except that each of the essays requires a lot of outside research with time to understand, process, and then organize the information into a 4000-word persuasive argument. So, for the first time since starting my program, I went to the library and checked out books! I've got to say that nothing has made me feel more like a student than carrying around a stack of old, dusty books that nobody in their right mind, unless they're a student, would choose to read.