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8 Phases After A Semester Ends

Will I finish this degree or will this degree finish me? Stay tuned to find out.

Hyesu Chung

Jan 17, 2019

University of Southern California

Jake Hills from Unsplash

Every semester, I feel like I have a myriad of feelings right before and they're all the same. I think each time I go through some specific phases that become my mindset about the coming semester and here they are, in order:

1. Happiness

I'm FINALLY DONE with finals, projects and won't ever have to see those annoying faces in that one class, except if you had a crush or something, well that's something completely different. Anywho, I'm finally FREE. I can do whatever the hell I want, catch up with old friends, party hard, get hungover and definitely catch up on the three important things that I didn't do much during the semester: sleep, exercise and read/eat all of mom's food. (Okay, four)

2. Bittersweet Sadness

It's something that's sorta part of the last feeling and sadness where you're kinda weirdly sad to leave your dorm, your friends and just USC (or insert your university) in general. SAD.

3. Bliss

I'm sleeping in everyday, I finally, FINALLY get to go to those pilates classes, I'm eating everything whenever I'd like and I'm hanging out with old friends and great family. This is the life I asked for. Suck it finals and classes and BUAD 304 that literally taught me nothing.

4. Nervousness and Anger

This has nothing to do with the pure bliss of a lifestyle I've been having so far and has much to do with my STARS report. Oops, GPA who? Stable job after graduation who? Professor gave me a C in a fucking GE WHO? Yeah, once you're on Cloud 9, there's always a drop that's lower than 9000. (And that gif is me throwing my computer outside because honestly I can't.)

5. Sadness* (Optional)

I count this phase/step as optional because not everyone is the same when faced with adversity or just poor grades in general. I am one of those people who just completely have to fall into "sulk mode", where I just am sad and disappointed in myself and I can't move on without completely feeling this way. This helps me move onto brighter things, but some people just skip this and are immediately motivated to do better next semester. I don't know, people are different.

6. Reflecting/Acceptance

When something bad happens or some sort of adversity occurs, any sort of human being has to go through a phase where he/she/they start to understand what happened and accept the terms of their situation. Again, another way to move on from this terrible circumstance. I like to reflect on what went wrong, why I feel x and y and what I can do in the future. It's a long process for me to recover from that 9000 feet fall.

7. Neutral Zone: Optimism

Now entering the neutral zone: it's a place where I no longer feel crushed by my own disappointing thoughts and negativity and am chilling. Yes, I am ~chilling~ with my emotions and we are, so, totally, zen bro.

8. Excitement Tactic

I look at my classes again and most likely change most of them into easy GE's and easy A classes because that GPA will get ya girl NOWHERE :) But honestly, this is the part where you're excited to go back in that car/plane to LA (or wherever your uni is) and see your friends again and go grocery shopping and get motivated to work hard and work out hard ;)

I feel a lot of things (in general) but always after a semester, it's just the same damn pattern. I wonder, do you also feel this way?

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Recommended for you

8 Phases After A Semester Ends

Will I finish this degree or will this degree finish me? Stay tuned to find out.

1. Happiness

2. Bittersweet Sadness

3. Bliss

4. Nervousness and Anger

5. Sadness* (Optional)

6. Reflecting/Acceptance

7. Neutral Zone: Optimism

8. Excitement Tactic

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The Best Lines from the Fab Four

And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make

The sun is up, the sky is blue, it's beautiful and so are you

Love is old, love is new, love is all, love is you

There's nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be

Life is very short, and there's no time for fussing and fighting, my friend

He say, "I know you, you know me", One thing I can tell you is you got to be free

Oh please, say to me, You'll let me be your man. And please say to me, You'll let me hold your hand

It was twenty years ago today, Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play. They've been going in and out of style, but they're guaranteed to raise a smile

Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see

Can you hear me? When it rains and shine, it's just a state of mind

Little darling, it's been long cold lonely winter. Little darling, it feels like years since it' s been here. Here comes the sun, Here comes the sun, and I say it's alright

We danced through the night and we held each other tight, and before too long I fell in love with her. Now, I'll never dance with another when I saw her standing there

I love you, I love you, I love you, that's all I want to say

You say you want a revolution. Well you know, we all want to change the world

All the lonely people, where do they all come from. All the lonely people, where do they all belong

Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends

Hey Jude, don't make it bad. Take a sad song and make it better

Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away. Now it looks as though they're here to stay. Oh, I believe in yesterday

And when the brokenhearted people, living in the world agree, there will be an answer, let it be.

And anytime you feel the pain, Hey Jude, refrain. Don't carry the world upon your shoulders

I'll give you all I got to give if you say you'll love me too. I may not have a lot to give but what I got I'll give to you. I don't care too much for money. Money can't buy me love

All you need is love, love is all you need

Whisper words of wisdom, let it be

Blackbird singing in the dead of night, Take these broken wings and learn to fly. All your life, You were only waiting for this moment to arise

Though I know I'll never lose affection, for people and things that went before. I know I'll often stop and think about them. In my life, I love you more

Obviously the best superpower.

There have been many lessons learned.

1. The importance of traditions.

2. How to be thankful for family and friends.

3. How to give back.

4. What the word "community" really means.

5. That it isn't about the destination, but the journey.

6. The consequences of making bad choices.

7. To trust people, until you have a reason not to.

8. To be welcoming and accepting of everyone.

9. How to be my own, individual person.

10. How to work for what I want.

11. How to be great at giving directions.

12. How to be humble.

13. To be well-rounded.

14. How to be great at conflict resolution.

15. The beauty of getting outside and exploring.

16. To be prepared for anything.

17. That you don't always have to do it alone.

18. How to be creative.

19. To brush off gossip.

I have never been so thankful to know you.

Dealing with the inevitable realities of college life.

Don't freak out

Email the professor

Attend the first class

Keep attending class

Have a backup plan

Remember that everything works out at the end

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