School is back, and I don’t know about you, but I’ve always enjoyed the spring semester better than the fall semester. I know it feels longer but hear me out!
1. It’s longer, or at least it feels like it is. (Take advantage of this!)
The fall and spring semesters are the same lengths. But while the fall semester runs from September to mid-December, the spring semester runs from mid-January to early May, making it span over more months than the fall semester.
This makes the spring semester feel more drawn-out and therefore giving more time to work on anything you need to get done. The drawn-out feel of the spring semester can help keep anxiety at bay, so as long as it doesn’t cause you to lose too much track of time. I also suggest taking more intense classes in the spring for this very reason.
2. Longer breaks
At my school at least, there are no full-week breaks during the fall semester, just a few long weekends. Thanksgiving break starts the Wednesday before the holiday and ends the following Monday. Which is too many days to call it a long weekend, but not enough days to call it a substantial break.
But behold...SPRING BREAK! A full week of sheer nothingness and time to recharge (or party your butt off, no judging) so that you can end the semester strong. That plus the religious holidays your school offers (St. John"s clearly gives us Easter, including its Holy Week and following Monday) give you real breaks, not little teasers of freedom
3. The weather gets better, not worse.
Clearly, this varies based on the location of your school. But by the time the fall semester ends in New York, I can hardly drag myself out of bed to face the cold weather to come to campus. The weather at the close of the fall semester makes me tired and makes it very difficult to stay sharp and end strong.The spring semester starts with layering and sucky weather and ends with people sunbathing on the quad and sundresses. The sight of people enjoying the warm weather is enough to boost one’s mood and give you more drive and energy to ace classes!
4. More cool class options
This might just be my school, it might even be just my department, but all the best classes with the best professors are offered in the spring. I had more options for my seminar this semester, rather than being forced to take the only one my department offers next fall. All my favorite classes have been taken during my spring semesters, and that’s not an exaggeration. It’s the truth.
5. More fun events on campus
My school’s winter festival is cute, yes I’ll admit it. An ice rink, carriage rides, hot cocoa, even a firework show anyone in the area can attend. But I’ll always prefer the spring celebrations, including its famous carnival that looks like it’s straight out of the finale of “Grease”. The warm weather gets people outside, rather than keeping warm in the library, so spring events typically have a higher attendance than fall ones.
6. That sweet, three-month-long break waiting at the end of the tunnel
When the fall semester ends, it feels like you blink your eyes and suddenly you’re back in class. The winter break is hardly a month-long, people! But when the spring semester is over, you have three months of vacations, lazy days, and freedom to look forward too.I hope you have seen the light and now understand why the spring semester is way better than the fall. If not, it’ll dawn on you someday! Until then, good luck this semester and remember four months of work now, three months of play later!
