Students are required to go to school for 180 days, which is half of their entire year. This means that half of their lives until graduation consists of a daily routine that can seem repetitive and boring. While the school year remains consistent in terms of daily schedule, I believe that the fall semester offers things that make it more favorable.
“I would say last semester, so the fall semester was my favorite,” senior Ronan Shaw said. “I had more fun classes, like welding, which I really enjoyed. And I just find that every first semester is always easier.”
When coming into the fall semester, students have had over two months to do what they want. Many students use the summer to be productive by working or taking summer classes while others use it to have time for hobbies they have not had the time for during the school year. Overall, summer is a time of rest and fun when the mind can reset and the feeling of burnout from the previous semester feels less heavy with time. There are no guidelines or strict schedules during summer which helps make the workload that comes after feel lighter.
“I liked the first semester better, because all my classes were a lot easier,” senior Kayleigh Metz said.
Another thing that makes the workload feel less demanding for students in the first semester is the amount of activities to look forward to: Homecoming, fall break, winter break and multiple holidays all occur in the fall semester. With those activities, it allows for students to have something to look forward to almost everyday. For myself, the entirety of the first semester consists of telling myself to just make it to whatever event is coming up next. This makes the stress of classes feel less because when I have something to look forward to, I only think about the time up until that event instead of the workload that occurs in an entire month or semester. This ensures better focus on specific assignments and weekly tasks rather than getting overwhelmed by things due much later in the semester.
“I feel like in the first semester there’s more to do,” junior Abigail Reutinger said. “I mean there’s football games, and then there’s, pep rallies and stuff.”
A more well-known event that students look forward to is football season. As soon as school starts, the football season starts as well and students begin to rave about Friday Night Lights. During football season, the weeks seem to go by faster as students and athletes are all looking forward to the same thing. Other than football, the fall semester means many other sports such as field hockey, volleyball, football cheer, golf, and others begin.
“I do feel like I have the most fun in the first semester, because of volleyball,” sophomore Audrey Painting said.
The senior class has many events that only apply to them, a lot of senior-only events occur more in the second half of the year. Since the senior class is almost done with their high school experience, many of them may prefer the second semester because they are closer to being done and can countdown the days until they start the next chapter of their lives.
“Seeing what the senior class has done in the past, spring semester is when all this stuff happens,” Metz said. “A senior in the fall doesn’t do anything, but senior sunrise, graduation stuff, senior trip, all that happens in the spring.”
However, I still believe that the fall semester is better as three fourths of the school population are not seniors and don’t have the end as close. While many may be excited about the school year ending, there are always bittersweet moments and looking back on memories made throughout the year can pull emotions. Especially if students bonded with a certain teacher or had a good experience in a class, it can be hard to say goodbye. In the first semester, there are no sad goodbyes and the new start to the school year gives students an optimistic feeling with all the events and new classes to look forward to. It’s a fresh start where many can set themselves up for success.
“A good memory I had is when I missed the first week of school, I came in on Monday and I had no idea who was gonna be in my classes,” junior Brody Spangler said. “Then I saw a ton of people I knew in my first period. I’m like, ‘Yes, this semester is going to be great.’”
