This past week, Bucknellians have been blasted by a wave of cold air sweeping across campus; when walking to class, going to get food or even on a walk around campus, students are starting to dust off jackets and winter hats to accompany them. And no matter if you’re a sunshine soaker or a snowfall enjoyer, one thing is clear: we are almost done with our first semester.

Semesters always feel like they go by really quickly… until they don’t. Let me explain. I remember a few weeks ago when my roommate and I were joking about how we feel like we’ve just got here, reminiscing on struggling to find an AC unit for our humid and hot room back in late August. Now the green summer leaves of trees at Bucknell have not only shifted to their deep red and orange autumn colors, but have already fallen off and are revealing barren and spiky trees. And between the conversations, jokes and natural observations, time really does feel like it’s flying by. But recently, everything that was once flying now feels like more of a crawl. 

I’ve always thought that days feel long but the weeks feel quick; busy days certainly ‘feel’ busy, but because of that they go by quickly – and therefore weeks. But with Thanksgiving Break in mind, and a month-long winter break two weeks after that, it feels like those busy days are just becoming longer and consequently the weeks too, not to mention the repetitive homework assignments, readings and other tedious work that feels like they’re becoming more of a chore than an academic experience.

It’s been a long semester for everyone, and I’d like to assume that we’ve all done really well and worked hard. And while it may be tricky to find some motivation to wrap up these last weeks, it’s important to keep in mind that classes end in just under four weeks – and one of those weeks is Thanksgiving Break. So stay strong, grind out the busywork and go into finals strong knowing that just past this final hurdle is a long time to reset.