By Ashley Carroll–

College is hard. You may not have class everyday or a test every week, but it’s still hard. You learn a whole class worth of material in three to four months instead of a collective nine like in high school. Factor work, social time and extracurricular activities in and you’ve got yourself a packed schedule.

College is hard, but the spring semester is the worst.

During the fall you’re working toward holiday break, those glorious three weeks where you can sit back and watch Charlie Brown’s Christmas on repeat. Then January brings a new year and a new semester. It’s cold outside, it’s snowy, wet and miserable. You’re working for more than just spring break, you’re working for the summer, a whole four months off. But what about the time in between January and finals week, that time of mental breakdowns and sleepless nights.

Spring semester isn’t miserable because it’s below freezing out. The classes are harder, the mindsets are weaker, the course load is heavier. People fall into this never ending spiral of stress. As a student, I am experiencing the spring semester of doom. Whether you’re taking 12 hours or 18 like I am, life is rough.

“I think it depends on how the student set themselves up based on the classes they choose. Senior year it’s like, ‘let’s get out, let’s take all the hard stuff,’” senior Chris Kirkland said. And that’s the truth, seniors are ready to get out of here and freshmen are looking to satisfy their parents by making up for their less than stellar fall grades. Let’s not even talk about those classes that are only offered in the spring – one scheduling mistake and you could be royally screwed. There’s stress in every corner, waiting to hand you a quiz or a class presentation.

Spring and stress both start with “S,” and that is no coincidence. There’s just this feeling that overcomes you that you can’t explain. When you go to bed you’re thinking about all the things you have to work on in the morning. Stress is a tangible thing, you can live with and feel it, and the spring intensifies it, the cold gives it leverage. Remember you are not alone, when it’s two in the morning and you’re still in the library, stressing about writing articles or doing physics.

We’re half way through the semester, summer is just in reach. Spring break is coming. The dark times are almost over.