College semesters are stubborn things -- they tend to stay with you long after you finish them. You learn a lot in the classroom, but you learn even more outside of the classroom. Most importantly, you (hopefully) learn the most about yourself and where you want to go in life. As I write this, students at my college and around the country are gearing up for one of the toughest weeks of their academic careers: the all-dreaded finals week. Before we start calculating how much we need to study in order to make the grades we want in our classes, however, it might be a good idea to reflect on what we've been doing all this time. You might be surprised at just how much you've changed in the last few months.

For all of the backlash that core classes get, they often prove to be some of the more enjoyable experiences one has in college because you're forced to broaden your perspective on the world. And maybe, dare I say, you start to develop an interest in a field outside of your concentration. Maybe there were a few core classes that stuck with you afterwards and turned into a hobby or passion -- this happened to me with astronomy, a field that has a very limited connection to international affairs, yet interests me enough to track satellites when the sun is down and watch for cosmic events.

Enough about me, though. What would you say is the most important thing you learned this semester? Think hard about this -- it could be something mentioned in a class, something your friend said to you at the dining hall or a revelation you had while working on an assignment. This year was an election year -- did you follow it at all? If so, what did you think of the outcome? Did you pick a side and stick to it, or did you consider both sides? (I've discovered that most people have no idea what it means to "consider both sides," though -- I have met very few people who actively seek opinions that contradict their own).

How has your personal life changed? Did you start or end a relationship? Did you suffer a personal tragedy? Did you find a mentor to help guide you, whether that be inside or outside of academia? Did you make new friends or reconnect with old ones? The odds are that at least one of these things affected you in some way this semester, and it likely shaped the way you look at the world. Most people, however, don't stop to consider how these things affect them -- they simply perceive them as happening and think nothing more of it. Picking the right friends, handling uncomfortable situations and measuring how your life is changing (hopefully in a good way) can set you apart from the pack and give you a valuable edge.

I honestly feel like I could take this topic and turn it into a novel if I had to, but I bet that you already get the point, and I've got finals to study for anyway. The big message I want to leave you with is to stop every now and then, especially at the end of a semester, and ask yourself, "Why am I where I am today and how did I end up here?" These are some of the most important years of your life - understanding what you're learning (even in those classes you hate) and how you're changing/growing as a person will ultimately steer you towards the place you really want to go. I sincerely hope you get there some day.