"College! No parents!" is a motto for many students at the University which reaches its optimum point towards the end of the spring semester.
"There is like a two week break from all your work before the exams," second-year College student Sandy Su said. "This is a time you should use to get ready for exams, but instead you end up spending it hanging out with your friends."
Second-year College student Marquis Stewart said he related the urge to spend time with friends instead of studying to the amount of time left in the school year.
"At the end of the fall semester, you know you still have so many months ahead of you, so you don't mind studying as much," Stewart said. "But in the spring there is only a couple weeks left, so that makes a difference."
Third-year College student Kristen Webster added that differences in weather conditions also set the two semesters apart.
"At the end of the fall, it is already cold out, so it just makes sense to sit and study," Webster said. "But in the spring, the weather is so distracting."
Stewart said the nice weather also coincides with many social events.
"You had the spring fling," Stewart said. "Then there are a lot of parties and other events. You are in the library and you say you will take a half hour break, and it turns into four to five hours."
Webster said she has also observed that the last couple of weeks are used by a lot of student organizations as a round-up time.
"I see a lot of posters all around Grounds," Webster said. "There are a lot of signs for concerts and dance performances. It seems like it is the time for everyone to have their final concerts and everything."
Su said despite the tendency to forget about classes, the prospect of final exams still lingers in one's mind.
"Spring is very distracting, but you also notice how much work you have," Su said. "Finals are a big deal, but you know you have been coming all along."
Stewart said he found the amount of schoolwork to be spread out throughout the semester.
"There is a lot of work," Stewart said. "A lot of essays to keep up with, a lot of reading. You just need to plan ahead. I knew the amount of work I had to all along. So it is not really the teachers giving you a ton of work at the end of the semester."
Webster said she felt she had most of her work at the end of the semester.
"I think it gets harder by the end," Webster said. "It is when there is a paper due and there is a final exam. And for some classes, you also have a final exam on the last day of class on top of the cumulative final exam."
Su said in the midst of all the work and fun, the end of the semester is nostalgic for her.
"It's bittersweet," Su said. "Summer is so soon, so you want to leave soon. But also the fourth years are leaving and it's the end of some experiences. I am not living with the same girls that I am living with this year. And I am definitely going to miss living with them."
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