For some, the beginning of the second semester, when schedules change and classes begin to ramp up, is cited as a major checkpoint in the school year. Still, many students feel not much has changed.
“The only thing that’s changed is the grade being reset,” Fourth Former Jack Ford said. “I’m not treating it any differently. I’m just trying to retain that standard of getting good grades and staying on top of my work.”
Fifth Former Finn Kelly disagreed.
“Every assignment right now, at the start of the semester, feels a lot more important than the ones during the middle of the semester,” Kelly said. “I’m taking the second semester more seriously.”
One Fifth Former also felt that his classes had become more difficult.
“The second semester is harder than the first semester for sure,” Fifth Former Cameron Smith said. “But I feel like I know what to expect after wrapping up the first semester.”
Kelly, however, finds that much of the difficulty comes from the change in schedule.
“My elective switched, and my free period also switched,” Kelly said. “It’s been a little weird because my free period used to happen right before certain classes where I could use it to study, but now my free period comes after these classes, so I’ll need to switch up some of my habits.”
Smith, however, wishes that his schedule had changed.
“I wish I chose two one-semester courses instead of a full-year elective because it would have been nice to have a chance of pace,” Smith said. “My schedule’s become monotonous.”
Not all students taking full-year electives agree.
“I’m not getting bored since we’re constantly doing new things,” Ford said.
As students cross the halfway point of the academic year, some are using it as motivation to keep pushing forward.
“Being halfway through [the year] feels good. It’s like being halfway through a run and getting to the top of the hill.”
Jack Ford ’24
“Being halfway through feels good,” Ford said. “It’s like being halfway through a run and getting to the top of the hill, and I’ve gotten over the tipping point and now I just gotta coast into the end of the year.”
Third Former Hugh Williams is using the halfway point to check in on what lessons he has learned from the first semester.
“I learned the importance of not doing your work the day it is due,” Williams said. “In middle school, this wasn’t a major problem because I could wing it. Now that my grades matter, I see the value of getting work done early.”
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