The start of fall semester is always a whirlwind full of laughter, hastily arranged dorm rooms and reunions among old friends. The start of spring semester is, quite frankly, the opposite. Campus feels like a ghost town — eerily quiet, empty and devoid of life.
I get it. We’ve been at it for almost six months now. Six months of papers, pop quizzes and pushing pencils. Just when you’ve finally gotten the hang of your schedule and gotten into your groove, BAM! It’s finals week.
And now we have to start over, once again. This might be the last time for some of us, but that doesn’t make it any easier. New classes, new syllabi, new to-do-lists, newly crammed calendar. It’s a lot to process, and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the mounting laundry list of things you have to do.
Before you give up on enjoying this semester, or repeat all your mistakes from the last one, it’s important to take a step back and think. Think about what you want out of these next four months. Even if it’s not your final semester, these are four months of your life that you’ll never get back. Four months of challenges, yes, but also opportunities.
So, from us at the Collegian, here are five recommendations on how to face the spring semester:
- Try new things. This is college, people. The golden land of opportunity. Go to a music recital, sing along at WHAM, stop by a Super Bowl party, go to a movie night (or host your own), attend a cultural event, go with some friends to a Class Renewal, ask someone to the Sadie Hawkins Dance, audition for a play, sign up to help at Highbridge. There are a million different opportunities at Asbury to serve, to have fun and to celebrate creativity.
Personally, I’ve been making an effort to check off my Asbury bucket list. For instance, I was an extra in a student film in the fall. So if you happen to watch “Dawn of the Sith’ari,” you’ll spot me as bounty-hunting alien and sith lord. And do you know why I did it? Not because it was a leading role, or a graduation requirement or something to pad my resume. I did it because it was fun. With all of the things that you’re required to do as a student, you should make time to do things you want to do.
- Stay committed to the things that matter to you. Obviously, trying new things doesn’t mean you’ll like everything you try. After the stress of the fall semester, you’ve probably cut a few different things out of your life already. But even after all that, you’re still left with classes and, most likely, an extracurricular or two. So it’s important to stay committed to your priorities. This means keeping up with your homework — and maybe even working ahead if you’ve got a busy weekend coming up. Commitment also means making the time to show up to the groups you’re a member of, fulfilling your responsibilities and even stepping up when a leader is needed. You might not be graded on your Gather attendance or your performance in gospel choir, but the relationships and personal growth that come out of those extracurriculars are still important.
- Rest well. Yes, you’ve got classes, clubs and probably at least one job on your plate, but your health and wellness is also a priority. On a daily level, rest means getting at least eight hours of sleep, getting enough to eat, staying hydrated and taking breaks between schoolwork. On a weekly level, rest might mean setting aside a day of rest. For me, it’s Sunday, but another day might work better for you.
I know sometimes it seems impossible to do all of your work in six days and leave it be for one, but I think if I didn’t have a Sabbath, I’d go crazy. Whatever you choose to do with your time, set aside some of that time to rest. Being a good steward of your time also means being a good steward of yourself. If you’re sleep-deprived, hungry, stressed, overstimulated and overwrought, then you’re not giving the best of yourself.
- Have a game plan for what comes after. Summer is approaching fast, and with it the prospect of finding a new job. Whether you’re looking for a permanent position or a temporary gig, applying for jobs is an arduous task that takes a lot of time and effort. It’s important that you take it one step at a time. It’s wise to apply for several jobs at once, but you have to pace yourself. If you try to apply to five or 10 in the same day, you won’t give each application the time and effort necessary to make a good impression. So set yourself a goal of how many jobs you want to apply for and work towards it. That way, you won’t be caught off-guard at the end of the semester, but you won’t go into application shock.
My personal goal is to apply for two jobs a week. That gives me three days to work (or procrastinate) on each of them. That might not seem like much, but by the end of the semester, it’ll add up to at least 30 pending applications.
- Don’t check out early. The second I started listing self-help advice, you probably checked out. You probably skimmed over the five tips and either thought, “I’m already doing that,” “I’ve heard that a million times,” or “That’s just another to-do list.” So if you’re actually reading this sentence, kudos to you.
I know it’s tempting to check out during the spring semester. You’re tired, and I am too. I know firsthand what it’s like to go through the motions, check off your to-do list and then use your downtime to browse the internet because you don’t feel like you have the energy or the time to start anything worthwhile. But if you don’t remember anything else from this article, remember this one thing: Your time is important, whether it’s spent studying, helping a friend or serving a good cause.
What you do with these four months is up to you. But I beg of you, no matter what you do with the time, don’t waste it.