Once more, we reach this time of the semester. I may only be a freshman, but it is safe to say that I am over the midterm season. I say that because I feel as though the word midterms implies a half way point cumulative exam. Judging by our semesters that last around 15 weeks, you would think all the midterms would be the same week, but no. All of the exams are spread out in a nice two to three months of stress and frenzy.
But what does that mean now? Now we have Spring Break and I could not be more excited. Unfortunately, the term “Spring Break” is a bit misleading, as the weather does not represent “spring” at all, besides this past Tuesday.
For me, that little glimpse at spring from Tuesday felt like a gift. I am the kind of person who absolutely loves fall and winter, but it can make you feel isolated when everyone locks themselves inside as they try to stave off the cold. But in the spring, I am reminded of the beginning of my time here at Stevens. I recall the first few weeks I was here where games of Spikeball filled Palmer Lawn and where I still struggled to make it on to my fully lofted bed. Filled with excitement, anticipation, and new friendships. Everything felt limitless. I felt as though I would be able to do my coursework just fine, and everything would be okay because I finally made it to college. College, the thing that I had been obsessing over for years prior.
While my ambition hasn’t yet disappeared, I do feel it has been significantly dampened by the presence of midterms and the looming threat of 30% of my grade being one exam. The frenzy of school and exams makes it feel as if I’m in a cartoon with a tornado shoving one assignment in my face, with it completely disappearing as I discover another, making it feel impossible to stay on top of everything. Somehow, in this jumble of everything, I always manage to do the least demanding tasks first, which makes it really hard to keep procrastinating.
Somehow, someway, everything still keeps chugging, and I still manage to get all of my work done. Days and opportunities like the lovely weather of Tuesday that make everything lighter are absolutely wonderful surprises, but they can’t be counted on. So, once again, I resort to my method of making it to the light at the end of the tunnel. For me, it can be as simple as rewarding my own hard work with a gift, like a book I’ve been wanting, or a plan to stay up studying in the MakerSpace with friends. It can be stupid and silly, but it can remind me to enjoy what I’m doing as I go along and to not be completely swept up in the world of academics. There will always be more work to do, but there won’t always be fun times to share. So enjoy a fun time, find your light at the end of the tunnel.
