Spring semester: when the holidays are over yet summer is still so far. This four-month period can bring out many different emotions and circumstances for all of us. Each week presents a new challenge and seems to test us in a different way than the previous. "The Office" is here to illustrate your struggles as you await the warm and stress-free summer.

Coming back from the holiday break, life is wonderful. You are high on holiday cheer and endless sleep from your month away from learning. You have an optimistic attitude toward this upcoming semester, and hope to achieve a 4.0. Morale is high.

Syllabus week is here and you are still feeling great. Getting to be with your college best friends again is just what you needed after being trapped at home with your parents. Since most professors are not up to anything too strenuous being that this is the first week back, everyday is a party. Morale is still high.

Second and third week of classes start, along with real assignments and readings. Being that you are still full of motivation and optimism, you try to complete your work on time and to the best of your ability. This is probably the most studious you will be all semester, though you have been promising yourself you will change your ways. Morale remains at high levels.

Fourth and fifth weeks roll around, and so do the papers, exams and deadlines. You are trying to stay calm and keep yourself together. Let's face it, though, you are freaking out and are somehow extremely unprepared. What did we even learn in Musicology this past month? Your first all nighters of the semester happen during this time.

Morale drops significantly.

Week six has arrived and you are breathing a sense of relief. Your first wave of projects and exams is now over, and you survived! The biggest stress in life now is realizing spring break is less than a month away, and you are not in the shape you want to be for the beach trip. You promise yourself that you will start a diet next week. Morale is higher than previously.

Seventh and eighth weeks are full of stress for an entirely new beast: midterms. Whether it be papers, projects or exams, you have a ton of them and you are anxious about the workload. How did this sneak up on you so quickly? The thought of these daunting tasks appears to be too much at times, but thoughts of your upcoming week at the beach help you to make it through. You are beginning to tire, and have slept through a class or two at this point. Morale is at normal levels.

Midterms week is upon you. You have contemplated dropping out seven times and it's only Tuesday. On top of the stressful exams, the weather is beautiful and taunting you not to study. "Only three more days," you tell yourself as a tear falls onto your organic chemistry book. You can practically feel the sand and visualize yourself soaking in the rays of sunshine. Coffee and the library are all that you know. Morale is at the lowest it has been yet.

SPRING BREAK has finally arrived, and you are ready to get your relaxation on. After a stressful first half of the semester, you deserve it! After packing up the car and driving for hours with your best friends, you have finally arrived at the beach. You plan to do nothing but hang out and eat really great food. What is school? Morale reaches peak levels.

Week 10 is a rude awakening. You forgot it is not summer just yet and that you still have half of a semester to go. Deadlines are quickly approaching and you are being spread in what feels like every direction. After looking at your planner, you realize you will be busy until May, when classes conclude. Meanwhile, your head is in the clouds, or rather at the beach, and your motivation is at dangerously low levels. Morale remains steady.

Weeks 11, 12 and 13 are glimpses of the light at the end of the tunnel. There is about a month left and then you will be home free for the entire summer. You want to finish strong, but many other organizations and obligations are stealing your time away from studying. Since the weather is becoming nicer by the day, "spring fever" starts to set in, and you are restless for summer. You try and convince yourself that you will study and finish your end-of-semester projects in advance, but you are kidding yourself. Morale remains steady.

Weeks 14 and 15, or the two weeks leading up to finals, are beyond stressful but also sweet. You prepare for the final push of the semester and plan to go out with a bang. The library becomes your best friend along with your textbooks. Though breakdowns happen and your social life becomes scarce, you are motivated to take your exams by the horns and defeat them. You refuse to let anything get in the way of you and the success on your finals, therefore you are focused and serious. The thoughts of your next three months of freedom keep you going. Morale is steady.

Finals week sneaks up on you just as quickly as your midterms did. "Didn't I just take my midterms last week?" you ask yourself, and are in disbelief it was a month and a half ago. You might as well move your bedroom to the library, because you spend more time here than in your apartment. It becomes harder and harder to focus as your friends wrap up their exams before you and get to go home for the summer. You try your best to maintain composure, stay motivated and ace your exams all while running on six hours of sleep for the week. Morale is low.

After your last final, you want to cry, dance and burn your school materials all at the same time. Finishing that last final and turning it in is such a euphoric feeling. After an entire semester, you are now FREE! All of the late nights and tears become worth it as you start getting exam and final grades that are awesome. You pack up your car and ride into the sunset with your GPS programmed for home. "School's Out" by Alice Cooper blares from your radio as you anticipate your hibernation for the next week. Morale is through the roof. You did it!