You begin to feel it towards the end of April. That subtle awareness that the end is near. You check your calendar and confirm; the end of the semester is finally upon you. A new sense of determination fills you as you prepare to make that rush to the end.
The school appears to shift and change with this newfound awareness, a certain anticipation begins to pervade the air. Although, with this new anticipation comes a new sense of urgency as the realization of the end of the year also means the chilling specter of finals rears its ugly head. With time coming in short supply, projects and presentations begin to dot the horizon as a forest of deadlines. Grades go from that thing you can’t be bothered about, to the source of numerous strategy sessions and calculating the maximum score for minimum effort.
The clock ticks down and days fly by as time marches on toward the last day. With each passing day, the pace of work grows more and more frantic as deadlines become closer than they appear. Tempers flair in group projects where you seem to be the only one on task and stress mounts as writer’s block stymies every paper you attempt. And yet by some miracle it all seems to get done, through the power of all- nighters and the all mighty God, caffeine.
Then, finally, the last day of classes arrive, professors impart their final lecture and students look at faces they may or may not see again. Relief spreads, but its short lived, there is still one hurdle left, finals. Campus becomes a ghost town as students hunker down in their rooms or the library to study, pouring over textbooks to gain every last ounce of knowledge possible, only emerging from their self-imposed isolation to put on sweats and grab a bite to eat..
The days finally dip into the single digits and finals arrive at last. Papers are read and reread to remove any mistakes before they are submitted. Finally, it’s the moment of truth, the two hours that will make or break you. Pens dart across books blue and green as a semester’s worth of accumulated knowledge is tested amid muttered curses and prayers. Then its over, the test is done, the class is over, and you are home free.
In between the studying and stressing you manage to find time to start taking apart your room. Posters come down, clothes are packed away, and you realize just how much crap you have in your room and face the daunting task of taking it all home.
At last, you set off for home whether by car, plane, or train to make the trek to wherever you call home. Your plane touches down, train reaches the station, or your hometown comes into view and you realize that you’ve made it. You arrive at home, see your family and start the long process of catching up with everyone. As the day comes to a close and you sit back in your own bed in your own room contemplating what you will do over the long and inviting summer months, you smile and think “Oh its good to be back home.”