As the summer slips away, it’s time to start thinking about a new semester. Even for students who took summer courses, the Fall semester probably looms larger. It’s the first semester of a new academic year and it’s the full term, unlike many summer courses. I know some students dread it—back to more books and more homework, science labs, reports and late nights filled with sometimes boring material. For some, it brings the weight of another big tuition bill and concerns about balancing work and other obligations. Maybe it means being away from family. I’m saying I know it’s not always easy.
But there’s something exciting about a new semester and in general, something cool about the natural ebb and flow of a school year. Semesters have a beginning, middle and end. They have a kind of recognizable pattern. At the same time, every semester is a little different. Maybe it’s the classes, or the people in the classes, or a different time of day or year. Whatever it is, every semester ends up being unique in some way, even if it’s your fourth, fifth, or tenth semester.
When I was still a student, I always looked forward to the change from one semester to the next. In some cases, I was just glad to be done with a particular class. In other cases, I was sad to have a class end, but at the same time, always felt ready for the “next thing.” Now, as an employee in a university, I still look forward to new semesters. I meet new students and inevitably, encounter something I’ve never encountered before. For me, it’s one of the great things about working in education.
