COLUMN: Some semester reflections
Sadly enough, the end of the semester is at hand.
This is sad for a number of reasons.
One, because finals are coming and you just realized that you have not studied at all.
Two, by now you have realized that the final drop date for your classes passed by a couple months ago. Three, you were under the impression that having your projects due at the “end of the semester” did not literally mean they were due at the “end of the semester.”
But the main reason it is sad is because, once you are finished, most of you will go home and be forced to read a real newspaper instead of my, dare I say, brilliant columns for your vacation.
In order to curb this incredible sense of loss, I have decided to give you my deep, profound, thought-provoking, unfit for even the maturity of a toddler, reflections on this semester. The point of this is to give you something to refer to the moment the pangs of loss for this last semester start to stab at you.
Instead of reflecting on the specific names of actual people, I have decided to give a more abstract view of the semester, as an artist would do with a collage. (It has nothing to do with potential lawsuits, I swear.) So without further adieu, I give you my reflections on this semester.
When I think of this semester, I think of friendships made and lost. I think of that moment when one of my professors was bragging away about his exploits and knowledge and how, as I was rolling my eyes with considerable exaggeration, I saw another student across the room in the middle of the same action. An immediate bond was made that lasted the entire semester.
As for friendships lost, I also tragically recall how happy, even chummy, our classroom group was with each other, until we were supposed to turn in our group project and no one had done their part. Blame was allotted. Sharpened pencils were hurled. Spanish swear words were spoken, and close ties were cut.
When I think of this semester, I think of the learning progress I made. I remember how, at the beginning of the semester, my scores were low. But as the semester progressed, as my classes progressed, as I progressed, by the end of the semester, I was able to learn. Learn, that is, that those bad scores were a result of laziness and lack of studying. Hopefully, next semester I can learn to do something about it.
When I think of this semester, I think of crying as I paid my tuition. But the moment I was in my classes and receiving my hard-earned education, and instead of crying this led me to a more mature perspective. This perspective included looking at each bank I passed and considering what would be the best way to go about robbing one.
When I think of this semester, I think of my personal academic triumphs. And then, since that does not take long, I think of my personal Nintendo triumphs.
When I think of this semester, I think of my adviser, and how he would have dared convince me to take so many credits (all in the name of being an official “full-time student”), which in turn makes me think of how descriptive of a letter I can send him before it is legally considered worthy of issuing me a retaining order.
When I think of this semester, I think of all the papers I was supposed to write, and how many trees I saved by deciding not to write them. The sacrifices I make in order to help our environment are monumental.
There are many other reflections that can be made, and I hope we can appreciate them all, but in conclusion, when I think of this semester, I think of people, events, moments, and places that helped make me the person I am today.
And even more than that, it helped me to think about how the semester still is not over yet … wait a second, the semester is not over yet! I still have a final I haven’t studied for! Well, if that is the case, I’d better go … I’ve got one, last (most likely negative) reflection to make.
Marty Reeder is a senior majoring in history education. Any personal reflections or Nintendo triumphs can be shared at martr@cc.usu.edu.