While some may dread the start of a yet another semester, others see it as an opportunity for new experiences and fun times with friends. And,for the older crowd, it’s a semester full of lasts before graduation. It’s one last chance to go on spring break, one last chance to party with friends, and one last chance to cross those items off of your Purdue bucket list before you have to grow up and enter the real world. It’s the final hurrah. So here’s a list of why it’s great to be back at Purdue for one more semester.

  1.  Saying hello to all the people you told goodbye.

Hands down, the number one thing about being back is getting to see all of your friends. Let’s be honest here, break was fun. But living at home for 3 weeks with your parents gets old fast. You finally get to be yourself again with other people who aren’t going to disapprove of your habits or hobbies that you may have picked up at college. 

2. Your grades are the best they will ever be.    

Somebody once told me that every semester you start out with an A average and that by the end of it, you’ve waged a long and treacherous war against the teacher to keep that A. In most cases it’s a losing battle, but it helps to think in a glass half full kind of way. 

3. A new semester equals a fresh start.  

All the drama and problems of the past semester can stay in the past. If you failed a class, weren’t very involved, or just didn’t have fun, none of it matters. It’s another chance for you to do your best and meet some cool people along the way. 

4. The excitement. 

Let’s face it; your life probably isn’t that exciting on its own.  But at a school with over 40,000 people, there is bound to be something interesting going on at all times. It’s part of what makes college so much fun and being at home extremely boring. 

5. The bars.  

Where I’m from there are no bars within walking distance let alone driving distance.  So if you want to drink in public with friends and completely random strangers, you’re just out of luck. At that point, your best bet is probably in your friend’s basement when his parents aren’t home. And with a stressful semester on the way, it’s good to have a place nearby where you can go grab a drink and relax. 

6. You can see the finish line.  

For all the seniors and super-seniors, this is the last semester you’ll be an undergraduate. Pretty soon you’ll be moving on to bigger and better things.  Just think, you only have to get through one more semester of living in that dirty closet, which miraculously passes for a room at your fraternity before you graduate to living in a real apartment. Then comes a real job with real money. No more going to class, no more homework and no more being broke.