SPRING SEMESTER IS BETTER THAN FALL SEMESTER
By: Ethan Ernst, Opinion Columnist
No one likes to be too cold or too hot, but Neptune Hall West and North students, such as myself, are more likely to deal with the latter, especially during fall semester.
Neptune West and North don’t have air conditioning; for the first month of this semester, I avoided my room during the day because I would be soaked with sweat in seconds. At least during the spring semester, temperatures tend to start becoming uncomfortably hot only near the very end.
On the other hand, rooms in Neptune are heated, so cold weather is not so bad. A pleasantly heated room to start spring semester is much preferable to a boiling hot room at the start of fall.
Low temperatures make it much easier to sleep too. A cold pillow and warm – not hot – blankets are better than tossing and turning on a bare bed, hoping the humidity drops enough to rest. Spring is also the season of regrowth. When temperatures start rising, blossoming trees and baby geese are all over campus. Decaying leaves in the fall are not quite as pretty.
Multicolored trees are attractive from a distance, but that beauty fades quickly as the branches grow bare. Those leaves then become a chore to clean up and don’t look as beautiful after being attacked with a rake.
Moreover, summer break follows spring semester, and summer break is the better break for one simple reason: it’s longer. It’s so long, in fact, that students may need more time to readjust to school life once fall semester begins. Thankfully, winter break is short enough that students won’t have this problem with spring.
Ultimately, spring semester has a smoother start and a more rewarding end.
FALL SEMESTER IS BETTER THAN SPRING SEMESTER
By: Sofia, Didenko, Opinion Columnist
The fall semester starts when the weather is warm, and everyone has a sense of optimism starting the year because the summer has washed away any pains from the previous spring.
Professors seem to be more lenient because of this as well. These are just a few reasons why the fall semester exceeds its successor.
Everyone at NIU is out and about before the cold weather hits; it’s much easier to be social in the fall semester.
New clubs can be checked out at the Outdoor Involvement Fair, and every Wednesday you can be surprised with a line of food trucks because you forgot about Food Truck Wednesday. There are countless opportunities at NIU to hang out outside and go to outdoor events during the fall semester. Being able to relax by the East Lagoon, walk in the woods and explore campus is a great way to meet new friends.
To add on, people are more likely to look for friends during the fall semester, and it’s easier to make them during this time. Due to the freshness of school, people are more likely to join new clubs, hang out downtown and be generally more social.
Speaking of being social, Greek Life formal recruitment happens during the fall semester, meaning that those interested can take a more hands on approach to rushing.
School during fall semester is also a lot easier to handle with the fresh start summer can bring. During the summer many students even miss doing assignments, I know I wish I had something to work on during some of those long summer days. This is why so many are inspired to do better academically during the fall semester.
The cold, freezing long months of winter and spring seem to last forever, which is why the spring semester feels slow and daunting at times. The weather means there are not many opportunities to have social events here at NIU during the winter.
When fall rolls around, campus is filled with fun activities like pumpkin patches, painting, apple picking, scary movies and, of course, Halloween.
Plus, once the stress of the semester is over, students are rewarded with a whole month off!
