As finals draw closer and the New Year is upon us, I sit and think about what has happened to me as a student this semester.

It brings me one step closer to graduation, as it does for many other students. In fact, all students are affected by the changes at the end of the fall semester and the start of the spring semester.

The athletic teams have done pretty well, and although the Cyclones beat Iowa in football, the men’s basketball team and wrestling team lost to the Hawkeyes.

But there are other chances this spring for Iowa State to regain bragging rights.

There are new buildings being built on campus, such as the new business building, which help students get a better quality education. And although some people may not be happy with the name of the Jischke Honors Building, it will help facilitate the honors program better for students.

When finals are over, students go home to celebrate the holidays and find out how they did grade-wise. Every student, no matter what level they are, still worries about grades. If your grades are a little lower than expected, that means you have to work harder the next semester to bring up that grade point average. This is what the fresh start of a new semester brings.

For some upperclassmen, the new semester means that they will be at an internship or student teaching so they can get a chance to see how their lives will be after graduation.

For some freshmen, it is a chance to find a major if they are undecided, and for lots of students, it is a chance to switch majors. Trust me, it’s easier to switch majors as early as possible.

That way you’ll have free electives and can take bowling your senior year.

Other things can happen at semester, besides finding out how well you do at academics.

For instance, if you live in the dorms you might get a new roommate. That can lead to interesting experiences. You might be one of the lucky ones who ends up not getting a new roommate when the old one moves out, which can be pretty nice. There are also new students switching floors or switching rooms which can lead to new friends, or a crappy neighbor.

Classes seem to go by quickly because the days are starting to get longer. The whole semester seems to be shorter since students are on a long break and then have two months until a big break, instead of waiting three months.

Still, though, it seems that the weeks drag on until the end. This is very noticeable for seniors who start experiencing “senioritis.”

Unfortunately for me, I’ve had a bad case of that since the beginning of the school year.

All sorts of different events start happening on campus in the new semester. One is the big celebration of the original colleges of Iowa State, Veishea. Whether you love it or hate it, the celebration is a noticeable change on campus. In the fall everyone drinks at Homecoming. At Veishea, not so many drink (or at least not as much as they used to).

I am sure that you can think of different changes that occur when we move from fall semester to spring semester. Some are noticeable – switching majors or getting a new roommate – while some may not be.

A new semester, like a new year, brings a new beginning, a time to start over and make things right.

We will still be in the same school year when we come back from break, but we have that second chance.

Wesley Griffin is a senior in agricultural education fro Grand River.