A Bittersweet Departure.

Well the time has come…. You are beginning to stress about the thought of life back in America but you have those four or five finals floating in the back of your mind. What should you do? Begin to stress even more about when you are going to pack or when you are going to study for finals…. The thought of finals during the last week on campus and the thought of leaving campus to head home can really mind boggle some students, making it tough to leave when the time comes. I will share with you how I dealt with this issue and how I went about the last few weeks on campus.

Packing

The last week on campus is finals week, and many students cannot figure out when they have time to study, to pack, and most importantly to say their good byes. Packing for me was not an issue. For guys it may be less stressful since we have a lot less clothing than most girls and we often have a tendency to leave things behind if we have to. For me, I simply laid out everything I had with me going back and then 2-3 days prior to departure I decided what I was officially going to bring home. I left behind my beat up pair of shoes and threw out a few t-shirts to make room for the items I was bringing back from Europe to the states. The nice part of packing when you are heading home is that you pretty much take everything in your room and you leave what you did not want. When you are packing to head to campus back in January you are constantly worrying about forgetting something so you over pack. Trust me. I am glad I did not over pack…. I felt like I was lucky on travel breaks when I had less clothing than a few others because after a while it will get annoying to constantly be carrying around a big suitcase to and from airports and on trains. PACK LIGHT!

Finals

The last weekend on campus during spring semester fell on Easter weekend. This leaves you with one last 4-day weekend on campus before finals turn up. With this weekend in mind I decided to stay on campus the previous week so I could enjoy Easter weekend with everyone before we all buckled down for finals. Finals for some people can be tougher than for others, and they can also be of more/less importance than others. My finals were crucial for me because I was taking my major/minor courses to stay on track for graduation…. Definitely a plus of CIMBA that other programs lack. For me I studied all the way up until Easter weekend, enjoyed my 3 days of relaxation, then I got back on the grind on Sunday night. Throughout the week is when people begin to stress about the packing/studying aspect of the final week. For me I suggest using packing as a study break…. I know some of you would rather be visiting with your friends one last time but you can do that while your studying and during your meals.  Studying for me was not an issue. My buddies and I put in our time during the day/at night so when we did have the time to relax we were able to take advantage of it.

The last week on campus can be stressful but it is all about the experience. Everyone is going to be as busy and as stressed as you… that is the point! Just put in the time you need to do well and pack when you have time… and the rest is yours to enjoy with your friends and to make the best of your last week on campus. And at the end of finals, do not worry. Everyone gets together one last time to make your departure a bittersweet one.