Courtesy Charlotte Lehman
With the warm weather, sunshine rolling in and summer just around the bend, Union students are still studying in the library for upcoming finals. Instead of kicking it back with friends and family in their backyard or on the beach, students are tanning on West Beach and throwing Frisbees in the Davidson quad.
With the trimester extending so far into June, keeping up the motivation to study and do homework grows extremely difficult, especially when all of your friends are home and the weather seems too nice to be stuck inside.
For some students, the end of the trimester cannot come soon enough. Students cannot wait to start their summer jobs and internships, or go on vacation with their families. “The school year is just too long, making it difficult when applying for summer jobs and internships,” voiced Emily Pettengill ‘14, who is extremely excited to start her internship with a fitness and nutrition company.
According to Laura Schad ‘16, “The trimester system is definitely a hard adjustment, but at least my friends can come and visit me to get me through!”
For others, especially seniors, the trimester system is great. It gives them more time to be free and independent college students and most importantly, it delays graduation. Graduation is both an exciting and scary event, marking the leave from the comfort zone of Union and entrance into the real world. Seniors Katelyn Cullinan ‘13 and Nicole Georgelas ‘13 reflect on their last trips together to Wal-mart and taking their final “Nott-Shots,” or pictures of the Nott. “The trimester allows a little extra time to be carefree college seniors, a benefit I’m happy to take advantage of!” says Cullinan.
Other students, like Evan Leibovitz ‘15, are too busy enjoying the frat parties and campus golf to even think about going home. “Why would I want to go home where I have to worry about coordinating rides when I can just walk outside and enjoy the fun campus activities that are going on every day?” says Evan.
The trimester system has both its pros and its cons and it definitely takes some getting used to. Overall, it’s definitely hard to dislike too much because it allows students a longer period of time to enjoy the beauty of Union’s campus with all of its blossoming flowers, and to admire the sun setting over the Nott.
