For some reason, I’ve managed to convince myself that we’ve barely begun the Spring 2013 semester, a fact that’s getting harder to deny in the sixth (seventh?) week of the term, especially as mid-terms loom closer and closer.
Mid-terms are not only immensely stressful because of the multitude of exams; it’s also prime time for projects and scholarships to be due. So when you aren’t frantically scrambling to memorize eight weeks’ worth of material, be sure to work on those presentation flash cards or write up that 1,200-word essay on your post-graduation plans (1,200 words? Really? Isn’t that a bit excessive?).
I think the most frustrating thing about mid-term week is that it always seems to sneak up on me. Over the course of this semester I’ve been saying I’ll catch up since day one. At this point, I’m still struggling to stay afloat and I can just about guarantee that the mid-term scramble is going to set me back.
Not only that, but mid-term week is forcing me to make some painful realizations. Among these is the realization that I’ve wasted half of the semester struggling to stay on top of routine assignments and largely neglecting those pesky (and terrifying) projects that often require several weeks’ worth of preparation.
Essentially, it’s the realization that I’ve doomed myself to another eight weeks of even more work, stress and misery than I’ve already braved thus far. Oh, and those eight weeks, like the past quarter of a semester, will hurtle by whilst I desperately try to hold on to the idea that time isn’t slipping between my fingers like an oiled-up bar of soap.
Having realized how quickly the semester is moving along, I have a small glimmer of hope that I’ll get my act together, knuckle down and become immensely more productive. Many of you may have experienced the same glimmer and are probably laughing at how hopeless that reality is.
In addition, for those of you who are graduating, the final eight weeks of your final semester is probably filled with a mixture of excitement, senioritis and sheer, abject terror.
Graduating is an exciting event! In a few short weeks almost every aspect of your life can and possibly will change. Almost everything you’ve known for the past several years may soon be different: your daily routine, your environment, your job.
That being said, graduation can also be pretty horrifying (everything you’ve known for the past several years may soon be different!). Don’t be afraid to ask for help to keep on track the last few weeks or solidify the best post-graduation plan for yourself.
As a first-semester senior I’m beginning to experience some of the same emotions that many May graduates are. At least, I’m blaming some of my laziness on senioritis.
Either way, mid-terms are a great way to remind us to look toward the future once we’ve completed the grueling gauntlet of tests, projects and presentations. For those of you who are graduating, congratulations and best of luck on the final quarter of your undergraduate or graduate careers!
For those of us beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel now is the best time to look toward the future and formulate a plan for post-university life. Personally, I’ll be looking into graduate studies as a means to hold off the real world just a bit longer.
Whether the upcoming mid-terms are some of the first or some of the last of your college career, here’s hoping you meet them with preparation, adequate rest and just a pinch of nerves!
Nicole Blanchard is a junior majoring in Mass Communication.