“IS MOVING BACK IN FOR SPRING SEMESTER HARDER THAN IT WAS IN THE FALL?”
A First-year students perspective
By: Sophia Falbo
After winter break, stepping foot back on campus means transitioning back into dorm life has started, as have spring semester classes. However, the question on my mind is whether moving back in for the spring semester seems harder than it was in the fall.
Hopefully, after the fall semester, students have adjusted to communal bathrooms, twin-size beds, the dining hall, and everything else that comes with living in an on-campus dorm at Boston University. However, going back home after the fall semester often results in students forgetting about all the quirks that come with living in a dorm when they fall back into their at-home habits – showering with flip-flops, of course, being at the top of the list! When it comes time to return to campus, is the adjustment smoother or more difficult after time away?
When we initially moved into our dorms at the start of the fall semester, the weather was much warmer and the amount of stuff we had to move in was much more significant. If you’re returning to the same dorm for the spring semester, it’s a fairly simple process to move back in and unpack all your clothes and shoes. However, if you are switching dorms or rooms for the second semester, the move-in process is similar to how you initially moved in during the fall.
On the upside, the pressure and anxiety that comes with being back at school after a long summer break is alleviated. We were only gone for five weeks during winter break, after all! Hopefully, you have someone you can consider a “friend” at this point in the year, and the notion of “not knowing anyone” disappears. You probably know when you get the most work done and the best time to go to FitRec before it gets super crowded.
Spring semester is more about falling back into fall semester habits that were successful for you. Of course, that routine differs from person to person, but ultimately, whatever works for you is what you should follow —and of course, don’t forget about occasional self-care.
Let’s take a step back from returning students to look at the students who are at BU for their first semester as part of BU’s CGS program: how is their acclimation process to living in dorms? Most of them are thrown into an environment where the majority of students have already been accustomed to college life from the fall semester. Although it may seem more challenging at first to deal with a new environment, CGS students have each other to fall back on – and to bad mouth about dorm living – before feeling completely at home in their dorm for the spring semester.
Hopefully, the time you spent at home during winter break was restful and rejuvenating for an energetic and highly anticipated second semester in Boston. By the end of the break, most probably couldn’t wait to get back on campus to hang out with their friends and watch TikToks until 2 AM. Now that classes are in session and your suitcases are optimistically unpacked, it’s time to get our game faces on and knock out the start of 2022. And if you’re already missing home, at least spring break is right around the corner!