How Students Are Surviving the End of Semester Struggle

As the weather gets warmer and the school year begins to wind down, schoolwork at Syracuse is ramping up. Students begin to struggle with assignments they may or may not have had the entire semester to complete, and with the added distractions of nice weather and darties, hunkering down for the final stretch turns into the ultimate struggle-life. We asked students to reflect on the semester and long uphill climb they face on the way to the promised land that is summer vacation.

“The last weeks of the semester are a trying period and it can be extremely difficult to overcome, but with perseverance you can make it,” says wise sophomore Kylie Sanders, who knows from experience how tough the final weeks of the semester can be.

With events such as Mayfest coming up on the calendar, students are less inclined than usual to crack open their $400 rarely-used textbooks and begin studying. Furthermore, the weather has finally decided to behave, and students want to spend more time playing soccer on the quad then sitting in Carnegie.

“These last few weeks of school are so hard between finals and getting all your work done when it’s tempting to go outside in nice weather,” says freshman Courtney Capazzi.

Honestly, though, who can compete with the events celebrating the end of the year? Though some students weren’t the happiest about the Block Party lineup (here’s looking at you, Fiddy), the idea of the entire school coming together one last time to party is pretty epic.

When asked about the year coming to a close, most students talk about how nostalgic they are looking back on the memories they had at good ol’ Cuse.

“I’m struggling with the fact that I have to leave school. I’m really sad about it,” says freshman Sydney Trager, “As for finals, I’m already stressing about it, but I’ll just spend a lot of time in the library the week before.” Trager has the right idea, as we all know the best way to learn is by cramming an entire semesters worth of knowledge into our brains during 24 hours of caffeine fueled insanity. This is an SU tradition that is as imbedded in the culture as Mayfest.

Though some students are more inclined to go enjoy the sun and all the dages that Syracuse has to offer, many agree that it is probably more important to hit the books and finish the year strong. And it’s not like our good friends Lucy, Chuck, and Harry will be going anywhere over the summer.

“This past semester has gone by so quickly it's hard to believe we only have three weeks left. I'm going to miss Syracuse this summer more than I ever thought I would,” says freshman Krista Maloney. #freshmanproblems

However, for some, this is the last semester suffering in the cold of 'Cuse. For seniors, these weeks represent their final moments of college, whether they are moving on to graduate school or their first job. For them, they are about to get their first (not so) sweet taste of the real world.

For others, however, the appeal of warm weather and the lack of classes makes summer much more appealing then school.

“I can’t wait until summer,” says junior business major Jake Manelis, “The beach, the weather, the surfing — everything. I can’t wait.”

Overall — whether you are killing your fourth beer of the morning or hitting Bird a couple of weeks early — the end of the school year at Syracuse is like no other. Really, though. This will probably be the only time the sun will be shining at Syracuse, at least for the year.

Photo by Adham Elsharkawi