It felt like a lifetime has passed since spring semester ended, and yet, it felt like just a decade before going back for fall semester. To me, this semester has a stronger feeling to it. I’m not sure if it’s just me, but the feeling of unease is most dominant in one of my classes, Spreadsheet Programming. In regards to the rest of my classes, I feel more excited, especially History of Technology. Admittedly, I also feel nervous due to recent developments of FAFSA blunders. But I do look forward to the change of weather from the scorching heat of summer to the cool breeze of fall. Overall, this semester has me feeling a combination of unease, excitement, and nervousness.
Every single semester, there’s always the rush for class registration, combined with conflicted feelings from everyone about their classes. Some love their classes, others dread it, and some are still nervous about the classes they chose. For me, returning to classes is a combination of dread and excitement because it presents new challenges to me in my academic journey. It’s dreadful because some classes will push you to your limit, and it’s exciting because it opens up opportunities to learn something new. Admittedly, I not only dread the academic challenge in Spreadsheet Programming, but also a traveling challenge to my class. My Spreadsheet Programming is in Queens and takes place late in the afternoon, and there’s only one subway that runs through Queens. But aside from my traveling dilemma, I’m most excited for History of Technology. This class not only presents a challenge, but it also presents to me new knowledge I can gain about the evolution of our technology. However, there is a major thing I always look forward to, and that is the start of cold weather.
The feeling of a colder breeze makes me feel more alive than the scorching heat of summer. I don’t know why, but it feels more natural, yet a bit of a dichotomy. Spring and summer are the seasons that bring nature to life, while fall and winter cause nature to weather away. Spring and summer slow me down in the metaphorical sense. The sun always beats down and makes me feel tired, while, by contrast, fall and winter energize me. I feel like I have more energy, though it feels more like a rush due to the fall semester ending in December. Maybe this rush is more of a feeling of excitement, or it could be a rush of adrenaline. Either way, I know that I’m getting an adrenaline rush from the recent FAFSA blunders, which have made this semester and future semesters more unpredictable.
Despite promises of a faster and improved FAFSA, the improvements turned out to be a hindrance for most of the previous spring semester. Many current college students and future college students faced several issues, like longer wait times to access the FAFSA, inaccurate data taken from IRS data banks, and signature trouble. Some, if not most, students rely on financial aid to pay their outstanding balance, which may have late fees added to it because of the delay in aid. Some are even worried that they might not receive the aid they need. But hopefully, a new semester means change, and this semester may slowly become less stressful amid the financial aid crisis.
It’s been about two months since the start of the fall semester, and, at first, I felt overwhelming dread as I entered my first day of classes. That dread was soon taken over by excitement thanks to my Screenwriting I class, though my anxiety rose again when I entered Spreadsheet Programming. On the second day, I felt a little more confident when I entered Intro to Theatre and Intro to Technical Writing, albeit with a tinge of uncertainty. I felt exhilarated and worried on my third day as I entered History of Technology–a class I found interest in because of its combination of history and technology. However, my worries stemmed from the fact that I’m currently taking three writing intensives this semester. One wrong move could doom my academic performance.
So far, this fall 2024 semester has been unpredictable and nerve-wracking, yet it’s also been thrilling to be back. The FAFSA blunders have definitely made this semester more hectic, with feelings of uncertainty surrounding financial aid. My anxiety levels are not only high from the fear that I won’t get my financial aid, but they’re also high from worrying about Spreadsheet Programming. But these feelings balance out with the excitement I felt from the hope that the weather will become chillier and from my History of Technology class. While this semester has its ups and downs, we can always try to make the best of it.
Comments