As the semester draws to a close, there are always mixed feelings about how it went. Some are ready to have this semester done and over with. Others are still entrenched in it. And still others are having the time of their lives. Nevertheless, there's always a certain variety of students you'll find on a campus this time of the semester:
1. The anxious senior.
They've got one semester left and holy crap, when did all of these requirements come up?? Graduation hotels were supposed to have been booked already?? Is there really only that much time left until they're expected to become real adults??? CAP AND GOWN MEASUREMENTS??? Oh, god. This is not happening.
2. The confident freshmen.
So they've survived so far on campus. Nailed down which dining commons are the best, where are the best places to study, found a solid friend group. This is college. They've got this.
(No one tell them about the sophomore slump).
3. The one who forgot their enrollment appointment.
Maybe it was somewhere in the back of their mind, like they knew there was something they were forgetting, but just couldn't put their finger on it. Maybe they just straight up forgot. Either way, you can probably find them scrolling frantically through the courses to find open classes. Wish luck to these ones. They'll need it.
4. The one going abroad next semester.
Their dorms are cleaned, their bags are packed, everything is set. All they have to do is say their goodbyes, take their finals, and they are ready to go. You can love a campus with your entire heart, but abroad is abroad. It's adventure. It's learning. It's probably much better housing than whatever they just left.
5. The one already studying for finals.
There is no such thing as a break between midterms and finals. A jump start on their final projects? Check. Material prepped for the exam? Right when classes for the semester started. These are the ones you'll find in the library studying until three in the morning weeks before the rest of the student population starts to, and honestly? Their dedication is admirable.
6. The ones whose classes have already filled up.
Mainly, this consists of freshmen and sophomores (and the occasional junior -- the seniors have already stopped caring at that point) unfortunately behind the curve when it comes to being able to enroll into their classes. The classes were too small, their enrollment time was too late -- it's hard not to feel angry when it really isn't your fault.
7. The half-year students.
These students maybe needed only a semester to finish up what they needed to do, or they're about to take a semester off. Depending on their reason to take a semester, these ones have either already thrown their entire semester's worth of notes into the trash or are ready to throw in the towel. They're done. Don't bother them until next spring.
8. The one who literally lost sense of time.
They don't mark time in calendar increments anymore -- life just got so hectic they only know what day it is based on the classes they have to go to and when they're allowed to sleep in. They may be surprised to hear the semester's almost over -- and be careful, because this may throw them into a panic.
9. The one jazzed about the future.
Their schedules are probably great, a huge opportunity is coming up for them, or the promise next semester probably just looks so much better in comparison to this one that they literally just cannot wait. Or maybe it's a new start in their life. Responses can vary.
10. The one who is dead inside.
And for everyone else, it's literally just another semester passing into another. Nothing to see here, right? Time to move along. Another semester of classes, stress, and the occasional stress-lifter. When will the next semester have significance? Who knows?
