Every semester has a natural progression that is roughly-universal across the entire student body. Though the academic experience is only part of the college experience, its framework dictates the whole. Because of this overarching influence, you can come up a sketch of the Fall Semester’s ebb and flow from the academic calendar. Here’s a brief overview:
End of August: Everyone arrives. Freshmen obviously have their Orientation program, but for the other three-fourths of the student body August is a reunion of sorts. You dart all across campus and the surrounding blocks to greet returning friends, help move/unpack boxes, and get prepped for the coming academic year while simultaneously trying to forget that the academic year is coming. It’s definitely a paradoxical time, but it is a glorious one.
First 2-3 weeks of September: Most classes give students these weeks to ease into the semester. That is not to say that there are not lectures, assignments and tests; rather, they are usually of less consequence and length during this ‘grace period.’ Students are switching classes, charting their extracurricular activities for the year [LogJam video], and dusting off the essay-writing skills. There is a lighter evening load of homework than there will be later in the semester, and it’s much easier to do because everything is fresh and new after a summer of alternative activities and focuses. Students use this time to check out what’s going on across campus, hang out with friends, and generally to settle into being back at school. It’s a good time [but it is a sad moment for each student when their ‘grace period’ ends].
4th week of September until Midterms/Fall Break: This is perhaps the most frustrating time period. The weather is great, but the amount of homework/papers/tests puts a damper on the sun. Students end up appreciating the weather from the library and the classrooms in Thompson, and reality sets in: school often means a lot of work. There may be a trip every other weekend or so, but for the most part this is the period when the student life solidifies itself. [And for many students, Fall Break is simply essay-writing time or test-prep, since many professors use the following week for Midterms. So much for a break.]
Post-Midterms/Fall Break until Thanksgiving: Once again, this is very routine-ish segment of the semester. It is busier than the first 2-3 weeks of September, but most people have at least got their Midterms out of the way. The weather begins to take a turn for the worse, and studying becomes engrained in the routine. Despite sinking into any non-cement surface on campus due to the rain and poking fun at those who choose to use umbrellas rather than rain jackets, it is a very manageable part of the semester. But it goes fast. And with turkey and stuffing to look forward to, there is definitely a light at the end of the tunnel.
Post-Thanksgiving until Winter Break: Gah. For two-three weeks (depending on the year), this final segment of the semester is the essence of stress. The library is fuller than a hypothetical Chipotle in Tacoma would be at all hours of the day, and students are frantically typing to finish one paper only to begin the next after another Red Bull or shot-in-the-dark from Diversions. Want to really experience college? This is the time to do it. Good luck.
Winter Break: We all take solace in the break, and try not to think too much about the Spring Semester that always comes way too soon.
That’s your semester-recap-in-advance, folks. Have a great day!