We’re almost there, folks. We’re almost done with another semester at UC Berkeley. With the multiple PG&E-sponsored cancellations of classes, various three-day weekends and our favorite Thanksgiving and winter breaks closing us out, fall semester went by in a flash. Honestly, fall semester has always been the speedier semester of the two. Don’t trust my judgment? Here are reasons why spring semester drags on longer than fall semester.

Spring break

During the fall semester, we have our Thanksgiving and winter breaks basically back-to-back. Our mentality of having a break from school never leaves when we get back from Thanksgiving, and we only have to go through another week of school, then finals, before finally experiencing the sweet release of winter break. In the spring semester, our big break happens at the end of March with spring break.

It’s nice having a break in the middle of the semester. It gives us a chance to unwind, hang out and refresh before finishing off the academic year. If you really think about it, we realistically get maybe two to three seconds to catch our breath and then have to dive right back into school with another seven weeks of absolute chaos before RRR week.

The weather

The cold weather really took its sweet time coming to Berkeley this fall. Now that it’s here, it won’t leave until April or May. Basically our whole spring semester is enveloped in chilly weather and rainfall. The sun barely comes out to play and our brains feel more worn out by the gloomy weather. During the fall semester, we could run around and have fun. For the spring semester, we’re all confined within our apartments or the libraries trying not to get rained on.

No game days

Game days really make the fall semester fly by. With the excitement of the Cal football season, fall semester brought about a great sense of school spirit that made the semester enjoyable. For the spring, we say goodbye to game days and have to wait until April for Cal Day to revive our UC Berkeley spirit — but even then, we know it’s not the same as a game day.

End of the stretch

Let’s be honest, we all got absolutely wrecked by the fall semester. Knowing that right after the spring semester is our big summer break and, for some of us, the end of our entire UC Berkeley career makes the spring semester drag on for too long. Whether you’re a senior or not, senioritis really starts kicking, especially when you know that the sweet release of the end of the academic year is so close, yet so far.

Graduation chaos

If you’re going to graduate in the spring, then you know what I’m talking about. The few weeks leading up to graduation become one of the busiest times for us. There are so many things on our graduation checklist, such as making sure we’re actually eligible to graduate and making sure we have a job lined up once we’re free.

Not only that, but the whole process of graduating is busy. We need to make sure we have enough time to study for finals, enough time to get our graduation photos done and enough tickets to graduation for all of our close friends and family. There is so much more to think about, but I’m already too stressed to keep listing things off.

Saying bye to your Bay Area baes

If you’re fortunate enough to have some of your close friends at UC Berkeley be from your hometown or around the area, you won’t get what we’re talking about. Berkeley friendships are really something special because we all suffer together, and we think that is such a beautiful bond. When leaving for our long, and very much needed, summer break, it will be hard and odd not to see our college friends every day. Especially for seniors, this might even be the last time we’ll see some people as we are finding jobs, moving back home and just not sure where we’ll end up after college.

The fall semester flew by with all the sunshine, fun and random school cancellations. Now, we move on to the spring semester full of rain, gloomy weather and desperation for summer break. Spring semester is coming, and we hope this article prepares you for another semester here at UC Berkeley.