We’ve all reached that point in the semester where we just want to give up. We’ve made it three-fourths of the way through the school year and the final fourth doesn’t even seem worth it. We put all our effort into the first semester, trying to start the year off a high note by studying, getting all homework done ahead of time, getting involved, and getting a high GPA. Once the end of the fall semester came around, we started to feel tired, completely empty of any energy to do anything. We would think that winter break would be a good time to recover and start fresh for the spring, but it was only a preview of what summer vacation would be like. There was some drive at the beginning of the spring semester, but we were too preoccupied with the cold weather and impending snow storms to have the motivation to leave our rooms or do work.

Now, after embracing the cold and forcing ourselves to go to class, we’ve just about it had it. Whether it was the workload, or the intense winter winds that took the life out of us, we have resorted to being in a state of “mid-semester-itis.” Yes, this is a real thing. I feel it, you feel it, we all feel it.

Once February rolled around, we can all admit that we started the countdown for the last three months of the semester. I mean, I know I did. It’s not that I’m so willing to get away from school, but I just need a long (very long) break. Winter break was such a tease for what the summer would be like and I got so used to my routine that I always had at home.

So yes, coming back to start a new semester with new classes, new people, and new ways to get involved was hard. At that point I, and I’m sure others, were already planning their spring break and summer vacation so that they would have things to look forward to. Of course, midterms had to put a damper on any type of hype that would arise from getting ready to get away again. But, once they were over with, we could all look to the future again.

That’s the best way to get over this “mid-semester-itis”—to have things to look forward to.

For me, personally, I’ve been able to look forward to things such as sorority recruitment, THON, going home for a weekend, spring break, Easter with my parents, and then eventually summer. Obviously I’ve had to endure hours of studying, homework, and having a packed schedule, but with determination and positivity, I (and anyone else really) could overcome all the boring stuff and get ready for the exciting things.

Yes, the countdown to the end of the semester is lurking in the back of all our brains, but we can’t wish the year away just yet. There are so many things that the spring semester has to offer us, so we can’t sit back and let the “mid-semester-itis” get to us. If anyone has experienced senioritis, then we all know that feeling of wanting to be done with the year and move on to the fun stuff. But, with us now in college, we want to cherish all the good times and keep making memories before we have to enter the real world.