Finals are finally over, for some of us anyway. My last final took place on Wednesday morning and by 11:00 a.m., I was officially done with school until January! There are very few things that make a college student happier than finishing-up their last final of the semester. For the next month there will be no more homework, class projects, essays or presentations and we are all thrilled!
All semester we have been working hard just to be able to make it through this week. During finals week, most of us have spent too much time at the library, not enough time with friends, and drank too many cups of coffee to keep us alert and studying. Now that our exams are over, it is time to do the exact opposite. Now is the time for seeing friends, sleeping in, and clearing our heads of school for a little bit.
And while we are extremely excited to be done with our classes, the end of the semester can also be a little sad. Each semester, friends graduate from WIU and move away from Macomb. And though we know we will see them during their return visits to WIU, the Leathernecks leaving this semester will surely be missed.
The end of the semester means the end of our classes, and this is another phenomenon that students at WIU find to be bittersweet. Sure, we are excited to be done with the class, tests and homework, but we do not always want to say goodbye to our classmates and teachers. By the time the end of the semester rolls around, I feel like I had finally just become friends with all of my classmates, and close with my teachers. And now, next semester will be a challenge yet again to familiarize ourselves with our fellow Leathernecks in the classroom and our professors. However, I actually get the pleasure of taking majority of my classes next semester with professors I have already had, as well as many of my classes with students that were in my classes this semester. Hopefully that means the adjustment will be very smooth come January.
Now that the actual school work is out of the way, we still have a lot of work to do before we head home for the holidays. Personally, one of my biggest challenges when preparing for winter break is packing. It can be extremely hard to determine what one is going to need while gone for an entire month. Typically, I do not plan beyond a week or two in advance, so preparing for a month can be rather overwhelming. More often than not, I end up throwing everything I own into my suitcase and hope I have packed adequately.
As students pack up and leave town, it seems that most of us cannot get out of here fast enough. But, truth be told, after a week or so at home many of us will find ourselves missing good ole WIU. During winter vacation I often miss running into people around campus, living on my own, and all of my WIU friends. Yet, that does not keep me from enjoying home-cooked meals, shopping malls, and seeing family and friends from home. This semester has been filled with good times, hard work, and a lot of great memories…hopefully the next semester will be just as great, if not better!
