Welcome back, everyone! I am writing this article on January 16th, the first day back for Montclair State University. That day also marks my first day as a senior. I know, I’m so cool now! I have a plan to graduate a semester early and hopefully, my plan works! But anyway, back to my topic of “first day back”!

I truly believe that there is a huge difference between going back to school after a summer break and after a winter break. The biggest difference for me is that I am now a first-semester senior. I enter this spring semester knowing that I am going to be extremely busy with grad applications, and having to finally say goodbye to my friends that are graduating this semester. It’s a bit depressing for me because I am worried that I won’t see any of them again after their graduation.

In general, I think most students feel the same way about the first day back to school. In the fall, you come back with a fresh start. Usually, a student starts off with a new grade, and maybe have a new job, look, major, classes, and outlook on life. Because of how long the summer break is, I tend to look forward to going back to school.

September is also a very beautiful month. The leaves are colorful, the weather is warm but not too hot, and it’s just an amazing season. I’m also very excited to finally see my college friends again after the long three months without them. Others may be worried about their first semester as a senior because that’s usually when students have to start applying to grad school. Thankfully for me, I didn’t have to do that in the fall.

I'll be honest with you, the first day back to school in the spring semester is not fun for me. My biggest issue is snow. I wrote a piece before about my hatred for snow. I commute now, and it is very difficult for me to drive to school when it’s snowing. I know it’s called “spring semester” but it really should be called winter semester.

Also, why is winter break never long enough? My second issue this semester is my lack of motivation. I don’t feel like reading the syllabus, or buying school supplies, or ordering my textbooks. I haven’t even opened up planner yet. It’s as if finals from the fall have sucked out all my motivation. I’ve given up, and have senioritis already! It’s so bad, that today in class I started to daydream about being on Facebook. Who daydreams about Facebook?

Either way, the first day back to school can be difficult for any college student. I believe that if you continue to remember that you are one semester closer to graduating, the first day back can be very exciting. Every semester is a chance to start over and grow as a person! I hope every reading this had a wonderful first, first week, and a great semester. Good luck to you all!