Spring semester is both a fresh start and continuation of fall semester. On the one hand, you’re starting new classes with new people and possibly new friends, but on the other hand you still live in the same dorm building with the same RA and the same people. Winter break is the school year’s intermission and the spring will hold different triumphs and challenges for you depending on your class.
Freshmen: You’re not so new anymore
You’ve survived your first round of college classes and finally know your way around campus. Maybe you did well first semester or maybe your grades took a huge hit and you needed to drop some classes. Whatever the case, you still have plenty of time to build up your GPA. You’ll get more of the same second semester as far as classes go—it’ll be awhile before all your gen eds are out of the way, but try to look at all of those classes as ways to explore new fields that you might want to major in. Now that you have a taste of college life (both academic and social), you should find it a little easier to balance all of your responsibilities. If not, then you’ll figure it out soon enough.
Sophomores: Choose your major already
You’ve had three semesters to decide what your degree will actually say. By now, you might have most of your gen eds knocked out, meaning you can finally start diving into the classes you really want to take. If you haven’t already, you’ll need to declare your major this spring. Not only will you be half way through your college career come the end of the year, but you’ll also be spending your last two years focusing on whatever field you choose to study. In general, spring will hold more of the same for you since you won’t need to make many huge decisions, but it is a time to begin thinking about your next steps after undergrad.
Juniors: Internships? Grad school?
As a junior, your spring semester might include an internship or grad school applications. You might be elected for a leadership position in a club and if you’ve exceeded particularly well in your major, you may be recognized for it. Depending on your major, you could already begin work on your senior thesis, but for the most part you’ll be focusing on maintaining your grades. Your classes are more difficult and more in depth, but if you can get those really intense classes out of the way now, you won’t have to worry about them on top of your senior thesis work.
Seniors: Your thesis, resumes, stepping out into the world
You’ve finally reached your last semester and it arrived much faster than you thought. For seniors, spring semester is the culmination of everything you’ve done over the past four years. In addition to focusing on a huge paper or project as your thesis, you’ll spend your semester actively working toward your next steps after college like applying for jobs or grad school. There’s a chance you won’t have a job or other next step lined up when you graduate, but if you take this semester to perfect your resume and interviewing techniques, you’ll be a few steps ahead come summer.
Each semester brings its own set of challenges, but understanding the next steps you need to take based on where you are in your college career will lessen your stress and give you more time to enjoy your school life.
