By Hannah Mason, Assistant Editor

Tomorrow marks 50 days until the end of the semester. In 50 days, West Liberty students will be taking their last final exams of the academic year, packing up and driving home for the summer (if they haven’t already), or adding the finishing touches to the decorations on their graduation caps for the next day’s commencement ceremonies. The “spring” semester is finally, weather-wise, living up to its name, and the days are numbered until summer vacation arrives.

So what should students and others in the West Liberty University community be doing and thinking about in these final 50 days?

Academics, for sure—the final half of the semester is academic crunch time, with deadlines of final papers, presentations, projects, and exams creeping closer by the minute. There’s so much going on right now in classes, in the news, back home, and in everyone’s personal lives that these last few weeks are likely to rocket past in a blur of activity and busyness.

In in the middle of all the craziness, let’s make a conscious effort in these last 50 days of the Hilltopper year to enjoy the little things about West Lib that we can often take for granted. As the weather warms up, enjoy a St. Patrick’s Day-themed green tea from Jazzman’s, or a milkshake from the Grille, and remember to thank the Sodexo staff for making it for you. Go to Team Trivia night on Wednesdays, or to bingo tonight in the College Union. Take a study break and walk around campus or the town of West Liberty as the leaves and flowers start to bud. Sports fan or not, go to a Hilltopper baseball game or other sporting event. Especially if you’re not local, go hang out with your friends at Oglebay Park, or walk around Centre Market in Wheeling.

The second half of every semester can be stressful and exhausting. It’s a time to figure out summer job or internship plans, or to decide what on earth to do in life after graduation. But the last 50 days of the semester are also the last chance to enjoy some time at West Liberty before summer hits and most Hilltoppers go off the hill to wherever it is they come from.

It can be easy to walk around with blinders on this time of year, sticking strategically to the long academic to-do list leading up to finals week, or else taking the opposite route and letting senioritis (or junioritis, or sophomoritis) take root as the weather warms up. Now’s the best time to learn how to strike a balance between schoolwork and fun, and maybe even trying to combine the two.

So make it a point each of these next 50 days to stop, take a deep breath, and enjoy these last weeks on the hilltop before the academic year closes its door.

Photo by Hannah Mason