The Hardest 2 Weeks of the Semester
I never thought too deeply about these last two weeks of the semester…until I saw a certain TikTok over Thanksgiving break. This TikTok was one of many that I would soon see about college students talking and joking that these were the hardest 2 weeks of the semester. Yes, I have been a college student for 3 years now but I never thought any differently about these last 2 weeks until this year. Honestly, I thought the TikToks were over-exaggerated and funny, and I didn’t think they really related to me. Well, I was wrong.
Something about this year has struck me differently and for some reason, the return to classes after Thanksgiving break was harder than usual. It’s probably just the fact that it was so exciting to see family and friends, and having to return to school after what felt like 1 day (which was actually 5) and having to start thinking about final projects and exams is somewhat overwhelming. On the other hand, it feels like the semester has gone by so fast that I also feel like there’s no way it could be almost over already, which is hard to grasp.
One thing that has always been tough for me is the transition between college life and home life. At college, we have all these new experiences that are so different from our life leading up to college, but when we go home we get put back into this pre-college environment. Transitioning between the two and spending time between Ann Arbor and my pre-college home is tough because it’s like trying to combine two pieces of myself that are so different, but yet similar. For me, I think it is these tough transitions that make breaks from school hard because I don’t necessarily want to leave Ann Arbor, but when I get home I don’t necessarily feel like coming back to classes. Then, when I’m back in Ann Arbor, I couldn’t be happier that I’m back. The impending exams definitely contribute to making these last two weeks stressful, but for people who travel during Thanksgiving break, especially those who go home, I feel this series of quick transitions between college and pre-college home life make it hard to bounce back and grind out the work for the rest of the semester. The emotional connections we have to home and school are so deep that it can be hard to concentrate when all you can think about is visiting old family/friends at home, especially since it felt like just yesterday (Thanksgiving break) when you finally got to see them again. Additionally, my heart goes out to those who weren’t able to travel home and I hope you get to reunite with loved ones soon.
So, I hope this is a nice reminder that if this past week has felt unusually hard because it lacks a sense of consistency or because you haven’t been able to see family in a long time, you’re not the only one feeling that way. My biggest tip is to try to keep your focus because at this point we are so close to completing the semester and two weeks from now, you will thank your previous self for sticking it out!
Jennifer Weir