Fall midterms bring on the reality that summer is long gone.
The days get dark faster, students have to remember everything they were supposed to be learning the last month and a half and the most exciting part of the week is beer-thirty on Friday. More than a few students suffer this fall semester slump when autumn sets in and the cold keeps getting colder.
The first month of the semester is exciting. Students reunite with old friends and make some new ones. The workload always seems to be smaller than the second half of the semester and the excitement of being back to school is in full swing.
Then the first frost hits. No more flip-flops, shorts or sunglasses. Now, it’s time to pull out that winter coat, switch to hot coffee and finally open up that textbook that has been collecting dust.
The reality of fall midterms, and the sense of mourning that comes with them, can hit students a lot harder than they anticipate, and it needs to be addressed.
Reaching out for help can be hard, no matter where students look for it. It is hard to go to friends and family, or especially a stranger. In the long run, it is easier to reach out than spend another day feeling alone with gloomy skies, piles of homework and a weighted conscious.
I know that I struggle with this every year at the same time. It starts to get so cold that the air hurts my face, I lose any ounce of motivation and I’m bored all the time because I claim there is nothing to do. Instead of reaching out, I hide in my shell at home with my dog, hoping that someone will ask me to hang out or I will magically feel better.
Sadly, it doesn’t work like that.
College can be crippling during fall midterms, and for someone who suffers from heavy anxiety, I can feel the effects in every aspect of my life. It’s more than just finding the time to study. It’s finding time to eat, sleep, work, go to the gym, budget, shower, go the store, be social and more. The stress students suffer in a normal week can already be too much.
As a student community, I think it’s time to acknowledge that the fall semester slump is real. I think that it would be easier on a lot of students who struggle this time of the year. When I get into this slump, I know I need to feel supported. It doesn’t matter who supports me or if they even understand what I am going through — the importance is that someone has my back.
When friends, family and peers aren’t supportive, it only makes the gut-wrenching grasp of fall midterms even harder. Look out for each other and offer help. Being in this slump shouldn’t be embarrassing — it’s normal. It’s a transition between seasons and a transition in mindset for a lot of students.
At the end of the day, many are struggling with the same stress due to this status of being students. That status should bring people together, not isolate them in times of need.
Cassidy Callaham can be reached at