The end of the semester is here. The papers are over, the finals are done, and there are no more assignments to hand in. You take a deep breath...you made it. You got through the school year and you have another one under your belt. You're so ready for summer. You're done with school for now and are ready to enjoy the summer heat and the beach. Everyone goes through these stages at the end of the semester. It's definitely a happy time, but also, the end of the year where you see all your friends every day is over and you're going home to your family. It's an intricate and complicated thought process at the end of the school day, but here is the outline for what exactly goes through your head after the school year is over
1. Happiness.
This is the initial stage. The very first stage after your last final. The happiness that you feel when you finish your last final is one of the best feelings. It’s over and done with. No more finals for a whole four months. No tests or papers or assignments, only sun and beaches and warmth. These are the thoughts of every student at the end of the last final. They are overwhelmed with happiness that their eight months of torture are over, and they are now free for four months to enjoy the warmth and the beach.
2. Nostalgia.
Then, the nostalgia sits in. The idea that all these friends you made from all around the world and the United States are going to go back to their homes for four months, and not be able to come visit. You look back on all the fun times you had with them, and maybe even begin to look forward to the next school year. You ponder on all the laughs and good times you had with your friends during the school year and the nostalgia REALLY sets in, how one year of your life is over and you are growing up. You may even ponder about your high school and middle school years, and maybe even your elementary years, and look back on how you got to this point in your life.
3. Acceptance.
After looking back into your long past and short past, you accept that another year is really over, and you have to get your stuff together and pack up. You have to start to make summer plans, either vacations or work, and you have to make sure you don’t completely waste your precious free time. You have to pack up all of your stuff from your dorm, and then drive back home and unpack it. You know that another year is over, and it's totally OK with you. You are ready to move on and to not keep pondering the past.
4. Happiness.
After acceptance comes happiness again. The happiness that summer is here and that you have another year under your belt. You look forward to the summer ahead and the adventures you’ll have. You can have home-cooked meals and tasty treats instead of the dining hall food and vending machines. You can sleep in your own bed and your own room. You don’t have assignments to weigh you down, and you are free for now from the grasp that school had on you. You are going to take those four months you have and make the most of them. You’ll try to make this summer the BEST summer you’ve ever had.
