Whether you're ready for it or not, spring semester has officially arrived and with it all the inclement weather, sickness and overall unpredictability it is famous for providing. Countless students have attempted to take on spring semester at Liberty University unequipped and unprepared... sadly... many have failed.

But not you. By reading this post you have proven your salt. You have proven that you're willing to learn and willing to prepare yourself for the oncoming chaos. That, my dear friends, is the first step to victory.

So without further ado, here are the eight key items you should most certainly have in your possession if you want to survive the spring semester.

1. Snow shovel

The wonderful men and women at Liberty University work tirelessly during snow storms to keep the roadways clear so you can journey around campus with relative ease and safety. However, all the snow covering the road has got to go somewhere and, inevitably, a little wall of that white goodness starts to pile up in front of your parked car. At first, you may think it's no big deal.

My car can handle it! You say confidently to yourself. I had no problems when I hit that speed bump at 90 miles an hour and this can't be worse than that!

Oh, but it can my friends, it can.

As the hours and days pass, those flakes of pure, white and beautiful snow start to melt. Then comes a bitter cold night and those droplets of joy freeze. Suddenly, that little, inconspicuous pile of soft snow has turned into stone-hard wall that rivals the strength and fortitude of the Great Wall of China and, unless you own a monster truck, your car is going to have some trouble getting over it. This is where the snow shovel comes in handy. You'll slice through that insurmountable wall like knife through ham and have your car out on streets in a jiffy.

You can snag a snow shovel for dirt cheap off Amazon or basically any hardware store.

Or, if you've got some cash to blow, you can grab one of these.

2. NyQuil and/or DayQuil

At some point or another during the spring semester, campus will come down with a collective illness. It could be anything, ranging from a common cold to scurvy (maybe). No one truly knows where it begins, but it always ends with at least 87% of the student body laying in bed praying that Jesus would return to earth and heal them of their suffering

In times like this, hot showers and medicine will be your closest and dearest friends. So be sure to pick up a bottle of DayQuil and/or NyQuil as soon as you can.

3. Ice scraper

Picture this: it's a cold February morning. You've just braved the bitter cold and walked all the way out to your car, which is not trapped in the snow thanks to your handy, dandy shovel (wink, wink). You muster up the strength to pry your frozen door open and you finally sit behind the steering wheel. It is then you realize that your windshield has been covered with a nice sheet of ice and your visibility is that of a naked mole rat.

What do you do? You have a couple options here:

a. You put the car in drive and let Jesus take the wheel.

b. You can flip on your windshield wipers and laugh mercilessly as they get torn to shreds

c. Or you can pull out that incredibly cool ice scraper you bought and get that windshield of yours cleared quicker than you can say "ring by spring".

4. Slippers

Dorm room floors have a tendency to get chilly during the winter, but a nice, thick pair of slippers can completely change the game for your frozen toes.

Not convinced? Well, some of the world's greatest influencers like: Kendra Wilkinson, Russell Brand and even ya boy Albert Einstein can attest to the incredible comfort and practicality of those feet blankets. If their word isn't good enough, I'm afraid nothing will save you.

5. Gloves

Whether it's walking to class on a cold morning, waiting for the ever-elusive 71 Express bus or standing in line outside the rot, your poor hands are going to be exposed to quite a bit of cold air during the next couple of months. Why suffer the pain and agony of thawing them out every time you walk indoors when you could have them shielded from the elements in a delightfully warm pair of gloves?

There's a simple motto you should live by during the spring semester, it goes a little something like this:

"Cold hands bring about ruined plans."

You should probably write that down - or better yet, cross-stitch it into your favorite pillow because that's advice that will remain true your entire life. Be sure to have a fresh pair of gloves handy for the cold days to come.

6. Food

Like many animals in the wintertime, we students tend to go into hibernation during the coldest months of the year. While no studies have yet confirmed this theory, scientists have conjectured that their is a direct correlation between temperature and students' willingness to venture outdoors. It seems that as temperatures fall, motivation to crawl out of bed similarly declines.

Science being what it is, it's wise to have a plentiful stockpile of food available in your pantry for days when stepping out your front door is simply too much to bear.

Additionally, if it snows hard enough, Liberty will shut down food options around campus for the safety of the staff. Several semesters ago it snowed so much that they had to shut down the Rot for a couple of days. Don't be caught without food, keep some in your pantry for those emergency situations.

7. Spring clothes

Though they are long and cruel, bitter winter days only make up about three-quarters of the spring semester. About a month before everyone leaves for summer vacation, the weather suddenly takes a turn for the better. Leaves start appearing on the trees again, birds sing outside your window at 6:30 in the morning, and the famous LU Chubbies make their grand re-entrance to campus. All of these (debatably) good things are sure signs that the warmth of spring has finally arrived.

Don't let your only fashion choice on a beautiful, 70 degree day be one of these numbers. Pack for warm weather too!

8. Rain gear

Last, but certainly not least, make sure you have an umbrella or one of those sweet plastic ponchos. Sure, we'll probably get snow at some point during the semester, but we're also going to get a whole lot of sleet, freezing rain and, of course, the endless March showers. Getting caught unprepared in one of Drenchburg's infamous downpours is about as painful as checking your empty bank account, so make sure you've got all the gear you need to protect yourself from the elements.

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... And that's it! With these simple eight items you can not only survive the chaos of spring semester, but thrive in it.