It’s plastered across every student’s face as they shuffle around the drenched Chico State campus. The anguish and stress have already begun to set in.

The weeks of Netflix and the semi-permanent body formed into every parent’s sofa will slowly puff up to its former shape as the returning students sink back into their usual routine.

As students bet their final hopes on campus-wide emails for the cancellation of classes until the rain subsides, it becomes more apparent that many returners are poorly prepared to take on another semester.

No one wants to sacrifice the days of ice skating and binge-watching to do homework, but with professors expecting a retention of the last few semesters, it’s time to focus on being students first. Choosing to take a break between those episodes of “The Office” to read or study is a better way to prepare for the beginning of the year tests than spending all day sleeping.

It’s not on the University to corral students into adopting good study habits and focus on their studies, but it should be. The departments at Chico State might hate summer and winter homework or study requirements just as much as the students, but it’s a necessary evil.

The 1 percent of students who do take the time to keep up with their studies and aren’t phased by a big test at the beginning of the year. But most of us know what really happens. Students get comfortable on the couch and stay there for the next six weeks until they need to come back.

The establishment of extra work might not sit well with students who prefer to catch up on sleep, but with impending due dates for assignments that returners aren’t prepared for, it’s a small price to pay for a higher GPA.

Marrion Cruz can be reached at [email protected] or @theorion_news on Twitter.