As of writing, I note the Seattle weather turning from barely-tolerable heat juxtaposing with nice clear skies, to a sudden thunderstorm earlier this week amongst graying clouds. Combined with leaves turning gold and starting to fall off, they indicate the beginning of autumn. Some of my high school classmates may not have noticed, because they are busy with schoolwork and clubs. This got me musing about summer quarter classes and the month-long chunk of time afterwards before classes start at the end of September.

Personally, this summer I took classes for ten weeks to get some extra credits; the month-long break is simultaneously a relaxing bit of time before the cycle of classes again, while also a rabbit hole towards basically doing nothing more than watching videos and sleeping in.

However, this is not the first time I have been through this—after working a bit the summer before my freshman year, I relaxed a bit for a month afterwards. This included a trip to the East Coast with my family, which was fun and I got to see a lot of sights. Afterwards, though, it was more chilling and chatting with future friends, all through the day. Sometimes, I would envy those who are on the semester system—they go to schools in late August, not unlike back in high school, where summer would end at that point; come back for a month-long holiday break in the winter, and ends in May.

When I think about how I’m impacted, however, I don’t mind that much, because no matter what, being at school is good thing. But also, I think that had a gotten a job, I would’ve had more experience, while simultaneously getting more money. Had I planned out my free time in advance, I would have done a lot more creative writing. Or finish watching a television series. So, when thinking about it, it’s basically the idea the grass is not usually greener on the other side—my classmates might want more time to relax, while I want my schedule to be synchronized to theirs and to be as productive as they are.

As I look back on this summer, I am excited for sophomore year, because I want to get in my major, and get to see my friends again. Yet I’m frightened by the responsibilities which would make my otherwise halcyon days perfect. But when I enter campus again in less than a week, I have to grain down on what I’m doing next summer, and make sure I will become productive not only in the nine months of this school year, but in the few months in between. Ultimately, those three months revolve around what I will do with time and resources just like with my semester-system friends.