Not all of us have taken summer classes, and that's okay. Fear not though, for this article is valid for the other semesters as well! The same emotions are reused and filtered through different events, holidays, classes and seasons, just as the same homework, essays, tests and quizzes are reused throughout the semesters. And we all know the professors just vary the question placement and replace a few words here and there. So, without further ado, here are some truths about the summer semester.
Enjoy!
1. Summer break suddenly becomes more attractive than ever before.
Even though you weren't going to hang out with that one weird guy over the break anyways, you'd promise that guy a date right now if it meant not having to take these classes.
2. And then you find out you need those summer classes to graduate on time.
Your advisor explains that these classes won't be available again until the semester after you're supposed to graduate, or they will conflict with your set schedule next semester, so he strongly advises getting them out of the way now.
3. When FAFSA, TOPS, grants, and scholarships don't work for summer.
The summer semester is just a black pit that sucks up every dime you've managed to save during the fall and spring semesters.
4. When finals end and summer classes begin.
Finally, spring finals weeks has come to an end! And now, I can.. oh, I only have a month? Well, there goes my two-month road trip around the country that I've had planned for three years.
5. The first day of class during the break.
It's June and the alarm is still set for the eight o'clock class. Tell me again how this is the summer that I've come to know and love?
6. Coming home after a hot day on campus.
Just stepping out of the door provides a nice, thick layer of humidity that translates quickly into swampy pits and lethargy. So, coming home, showering off the sticky heat, and jumping into bed sounds incredible.
7. What online classes feel like.
I'm not new to online schooling, so I know how it feels when everything goes wrong: the internet is slow/goes out, the car is broken down and useless, the public library is 20 miles away, and the school library is closed for the break. It's always a struggle.
8. And you try to convince yourself to be strong.
You just have to remind yourself that this computer may have paid for itself in the seven years that you've had it, but you haven't yet saved up quite enough for the new computer you've had your eye on.
9. When you try to do the reading for online classes.
Online classes are independent study classes with due dates that supposedly help to keep you on track. The reading is usually optional when Google is so readily available.
10. Studying while your friends hit the beach.
Johnny Depp eating Doritos in his pajamas with messy hair is the realest, most accurate symbol of wallowing in self-pity while watching the live video feed of your friends swimming with dolphins on Facebook. It speaks to the soul.
11. Turning down a night of turning up.
It goes without saying that having fun is a part of the summer break experience. Unfortunately, it is not a part of the maintaining decent grades experience.
12. Sorrow setting in halfway through the break.
Right after the halfway mark, the fifth stage of grief usually settles in. Regardless of whether the stages happen in order, acceptance usually follows midterms with haste.
13. When your brain has checked out after midterms.
A blank mind happens to everyone, and is not anything to be embarrassed about. You shouldn't feel alone in these situations, as this occurs to most students, and should consult a friend about a deserved night out.
14. When due dates begin to sneak up on you.
Once you've become numb to the stress of midterms and the resulting guilt of cramming instead of studying, the idea that homework has due dates can be difficult to wrap your head around. "When did this happen?" "Has it always been this way?" These are common questions for students to exclaim in the library while pulling on their hair. Don't be surprised if this happens to you.
15. When the teacher tells you to start studying for finals early.
This concept may seem laughable, but I assure you that it is sound advice. Can you remember finals last semester? If not, try to find it in your repressed memory bank. Remember the dread and stress that you felt after waiting until two days before the finals to start studying? You don't want those gray hairs and pimples to start annoying you again, right? Heed this advice!
16. When you don't take the advice.
Most people have difficulty taking advice, yet have no trouble giving it. You are paying for that decision, and have to take full responsibility. Don't worry though! You probably retained more in the lectures than you think!
17. Summer semester finals: Initial reaction.
Whether you began studying early or you decided to cram, everyone's initial reaction to stress is to brush it off. Just ignore it until it bites you in the ass. Works every time.
18. Summer semester finals: Delayed reaction.
When finals sneak up on you, they make sure to catch you completely off-guard with your pants down. Sometimes you just can't even, and that's a perfectly acceptable reaction.
19. That feeling at every semester's end.
The semester is finally over, thank the heavens. You throw up that middle finger that you've been dying to show by expressing your concerns about the teacher in the anonymous assessment of their class and expectations. And then you realize that the summer finals are over, and the fall semester starts in a month. F***.
