For me, yesterday was actually the first day of my Monday only class. With finishing my undergraduate studies last semester, I now embark on the journey of graduate school. Though I have already learned that they are strikingly different, some of the wisdom I gained from undergraduate is applicable as a grad student as well as applies to those who are undergraduate.

When I first came back to college in the summer of 2011, I knew nobody. Though I was a shy and timid freshman, I still wanted to make friends. I believe we are social creatures by nature and human interaction is extremely important. Even if this means holding onto that friend you have had for as long as you can remember, finding the person you click with inside an organizational group, in sports, Greek life, et cetera. A suggestion of one other important friend that you should look for at the start of the semester is what I deem a semester friend.

What I mean by semester friend is that person that will help you get through this semester. Yes, you may have that lifelong friend, but what happens if y’all have opposite class schedules and can’t see each other. This is where the semester friend comes in. 

I would suggest trying to find someone that may be in multiple classes with you. As your college career progresses, you will start to have more and more classes with people in the same major as you and most likely y’all will be taking classes together even outside of your major. Especially if you will be graduating at the same time. Take this time, early in the semester to get to know them, set up a plan to study together, talk about how y’all both may be free for a couple hours and can study together in the library. This will be crucial when one of y’all may get sick or have to miss a class for some reason. You have that emergency contact where you can say, “I missed class and need the notes cause we have that huge test coming up and I have to pass.” And if y’all have been hanging out all semester, you know if you could trust them with one of your most precious commodities in college, your class notes.

Yes, the semester is just starting, but believe me when I say that it will fly by, especially after the Mardi Gras holiday. Having a semester friend not only allows you to have social interaction with someone, maybe make a lifelong friend, but it gives you that person that can help you get through your academic year and if you are like me, you need every advantage. 

I am no exception to the semester friends. I am working on it at this very moment. But, I will say this, some of those semester friends I never talked to after the semester. But was I glad I had them when I did. Others, we may hardly see each other but when we do, it is like we just saw each other and we pick up right where we left off; as the oldest of friends who never said goodbye.