Welcome back to the spring semester. Maybe it will begin to feel like its namesake by the time the class of ’26 says its goodbyes in April. For now, we all must get through this literal and figurative cold stretch.

It can be difficult to get going in the spring. The break between semesters is shorter than the one you get in the summer, and motivation can be in short supply. It is similar to baseball coming off the All-Star break — the storylines and players are the same, only the schedule is different. This is different from the fall, which feels like a new season full of all the inherent excitement that provides.

Nevertheless, we must persist. Luckily, classes usually do not get intense for a few weeks, which allows you to ease into things. But it is important to get into a good routine early on, so you can establish a balance between your classwork, extracurriculars, job and the rest of the minutiae that make up your day. 

Mastering time management so that you can turn assignments in on time while also taking care of yourself is critical, because the semester may seem long at the beginning, but it will fly by. That passage of time will only become more apparent as some prepare for end-of-the-year activities like graduation.

Some may be starting their journey at Shippensburg University during the spring. Getting to learn your schedule, where you can park (nowhere) and the locations of the various buildings and services can be difficult when there is not a temperature to be had outside and the land is still blanketed with unmelting snow.

But the days will soon grow longer and your time here at the university shorter. If there is one thing to stress, it is that each semester — the people you meet during it, the experiences you gain — is a chapter of your life that will inform your later story. Enjoy this time, it will be gone before you know it. 

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