Diamond Jenkins
Blue & White Flash/Associate Editor
The spring season is slowly merging into the summer and I’m sure many of you have already begun compiling “summer to-do lists” or “goal sheets,” right?
Freshmen, it only gets easier from here. Sophomores, you’re not freshmen anymore. Juniors, only one more year, and seniors, it’s about that time to get your life together, but keep calm.
I know this has to be the longest 30 days of your college semester. I’m talking about the end of the semester. Or, not exactly the end but the week or two leading up to the semester’s close. Crunch time, stress time, or whatever you might call it.
At most U.S. colleges and universities, the spring semester winds down by uncomfortably sandwiching a week or two of classes plus final exams in between. Not only do most instructors have final projects, papers, and tests to grade before giving and grading final exams, but the end of the semester also creates deadlines for recommendation letters, internship applications, etc.
I’m going to be sharing with you, a few tips on how to survive the end of the semester fever and how to occupy your summer.
I present to you three realistic ways to occupy yourself:
· Exercise to relieve stress:
While college can be a lot of fun, it can also be extremely stressful. One of the best and most healthy ways to relieve stress is through exercise. Whether or not you gained that freshman 15 and forgot to lose it, exercising will help relieve the stress you conjured up during the semester.
· Find a new hobby:
Learn to play a musical instrument, take up singing, and learn to dance, or develop your artistic skills and find a hobby pertaining to your major.
· Get a Job/Internship
We all know that working and interning is important. It’s pressed on me all the time to the point where that’s all I think about. I know working for a company in your industry can give you valuable insight into whether or not the industry is the right choice for you, potentially avoiding the costs of obtaining a degree in a field you’re not interested in.
· Travel:
I have ridden the bus quite a few times. Take a bus or a train somewhere new. Flying can be so cheap these days that we sometimes forget about the bus or train. But sometimes the journey is half the fun and you’ll see new parts of the country you’d never see from the air.
Nevertheless, your time in college has been filled with stressors like classes, papers, lab reports, and exams. It is also happily filled with the fun stuff, like friends, parties, going out, and a seemingly endless schedule of events and activities. During the summer, while you are having fun; remember to come back!
The views expressed in the commentary are those of the writer(s) and in no way represent the views of The Blue & White Flash.
