As the end of the semester approaches, and it becomes harder and harder to find a place to study and do work, students are working hard to push through the last days of the fall semester.

“I cannot believe how quickly this semester flew by,” sophomore Betty Dorsey said. “I feel like just a minute ago it was move-in, and now, being almost halfway done with college feels surreal.”

As the daylight gets shorter, students are staying up later than ever with increased amounts of work and finals to begin preparing for. 

“Within the next week I have a combination of four group projects and multiple exams,” Nadia Balduf said. “Between my core classes taking up a lot of my time, the classes for my major are also assigning more and more work. It is hard deciding which classes and assignments to prioritize over others.” 

Finals week will take place from Dec. 13 until Dec. 19, with the only break being Sunday, Dec. 17. 

While many students have online exams or papers instead, others, such as Kara McGoldrick, have exams until the very end. 

“My least favorite part of the semester is having to say goodbye to my friends for long periods at a time while also trying to stay focused and prepare for finals,” McGoldrick said.

However, with finals also comes the enjoyment of winter break. Whether students are traveling or seeing friends and family, winter break is a commonly looked forward to event throughout the semester. 

“[I’m] excited to go home and see my family,” sophomore Claire Gaza said. “My older brother goes to a different university so it is great to all be back home together for the month off.”

Students start moving back into Villanova as early as Jan. 9. 

“I come back early to help my sorority through primary recruitment,” Gaza said. “While I am excited to spend time with family at home, I am also looking forward to coming back to campus and being with my friends to finish off the year.”

While some students feel sad about the end of the semester, others, such as Ryan Levey, are excited for what is left to come.

“I am really looking forward to the first real Wells game of the semester on December 9th,” Levey said. “I love taking the train into Philadelphia to support our team.”

Quinn Burrough agreed. “While I am sad to go home for a month without my friends from school, I am excited for the time we have left this semester,” Burrough said. “I am eager to go to Wells Fargo, as well as celebrate the holidays with my close friends before heading home. I know that as soon as we come back in January we will jump in right where we left off.”

Students from all over the country are excited to get to see their friends from back home and from high school. 

“I am excited to head home and see my friends who go to school around the country,” Dorsey said. “I have friends spanning from Michigan to Georgia and it is so amazing to get to reconnect and share all our stories from the semester apart. I am also very excited to see my younger sister who is still in high school.”

No matter your plans for winter break, we wish you a safe, healthy and happy holiday season. We cannot wait to see everyone back on campus for the spring semester.