With spring break in the rearview mirror and finals approaching, the countdown to the end of the semester has finally come. For many students, the next few weeks bring many deadlines, performances, and late nights – time feels short, expectations are high, and the finish line feels so close yet so far.
Jacob Curtis, a junior music major from Oklahoma City, has the strategy to stay ahead. “The stress is definitely starting to show,” he stated. “I am trying my best to just stay ahead so that I can have more time to relax and prepare for the end of the semester.”
Even with the mindset of working ahead, Curtis faces a busy schedule preparing for his junior recital and other instrumental performances. When asked to describe this point of the semester in one word, he said it is “heavy.”
“It feels like everything is just sitting on your shoulders, but slowly the weight starts getting lifted off one assignment at a time,” Curtis conveyed. To manage the weight, he turns towards community – “ Being able to spend time with the people I care about brings me peace whenever things are hectic, and giving myself time to game with friends is a go-to,” he explained.
For senior music education major, Tyler Sweeden from Rush Springs, Oklahoma, senioritis is very present. “Senioritis is kicking my butt,” he emphasized. With student teaching in his horizon, Sweeden is shifting his focus to his future. “Where will I teach? What will I do after college,” he asked, noting that those questions are “big, real, and scary.”
The prioritization of time is a key factor to Sweeden’s last moments as a college student. While admitting his balance is off, he is happier and better because of his focus on personal life. “Am I more well rested, less anxious, and genuinely happier than I have been in years past? Yes,” he stated.
Rylee Stidham, a senior instrumental music performance major from Washington, Oklahoma, stated, “I am definitely feeling the pressure, but staying organized and out of burnout is my main priority.”
While preparing for finals, her senior recital, concerts, and work schedules are difficult, her planning for the end of the semester is intentional. When asked how she manages her life during this busy time, Stidham offers a great analogy.
“One step at a time! I break down each assignment into digestible chunks and work little by little,” she explained. “In middle school my band director used to say, ‘How do we eat an elephant? One bite at a time!’ That advice has really come in handy when I’m drowning in tasks and assignments,” she stated.
All three students have a common thread of leaning into connection, routine, and perspective when times get demanding. While looking ahead, each one of them is eager for the semester to end. Curtis is preparing for a summer focused on growth, Sweeden is planning to spend his summer at Falls Creek, and Stidham is anticipating a new chapter beyond graduation.
With their time at Southern Nazarene University coming to a close, they offer their advice: talk to those around you, eat and sleep when you can, and remember that God is always with you. Because in the race to the end, finishing strong is only part of the story – how students endure the journey matters just as much.
Photo by: MaK Wilkerson