Ah, April. Spring is truly here at last. The sun is shining, flowers are blooming and finals are next week. There is something so wrong with that picture. This is my last year as an undergrad and, with vet school starting July 1, I want to enjoy my last couple of weeks as much as possible. Instead, my last month has been filled with papers and presentations as well as some early finals.
And yet the sun is out today, the weather glorious, and all I want to do is go bike riding or read a book outside. Instead I’m trapped in my apartment, writing this article. It’s a little stuffy indoors, and I long to feel the warmth of sunshine on my skin, but I made a commitment and I mean to stick to it. It seems I’ve hardly had time to breathe these last few days, and I know many share my feelings on this matter. Is it just me, or does the end of the spring semester always seem busier than the fall? And then, looming in the not too distant future are finals.
It seems a crime, doesn’t it? To be stuck in a crowded classroom or perhaps an apartment or dorm room studying when the outdoors calls to you? Why can’t finals take place in January when things are cold and dreary and no one feels much like being outside?
I resolve, however, to enjoy the spring weather as much as possible over the next few days before it gets too hot and humid. Perhaps that will mean losing some study time, but really, who wants to study now anyway? To quote one of my favorite bands, Seabird, “Sometimes there’s only so much we can take … We all needed a break.”
You only live once and you’re only young for a short time. Now is the time to enjoy everything in life; before we get too old to do all the things we can now. Haven’t your parents always said, “You’re in college for a little while, make the most of it”? What better way to enjoy life than being outside in the spring? It’s a much better alternative to drunken parties or studying for hours in your room, both of which you may someday regret.
I dread the prospect of studying for approaching finals. Yet I know I must study for them or be doomed to fail. A comprehensive immunology test cannot be ignored. I shall have to formulate a plan that lets me enjoy the weather, and still get work done. When is that though? If I wait until the sun sets to begin studying, friends who want to hang out and take a break from projects and studying will begin calling me.
So where does cramming fit in? Somehow, as much as we’re told not to do it, I have a feeling it will mostly be done the night before each final. But in the long run what will I remember? Studying for finals for hours upon hours? Or enjoying college life by hanging out with friends and having fun and being crazy outside? The choice is not hard.
Hannah Kaase is a senior majoring in animal and dairy science. She can be contacted at [email protected].