Seasonal Affected Disorder College Edition

Those from northern climates know that in the Winter the short days and dreary weather cause Seasonal Affected Disorder, also know as SAD.  It is characterized by depression, lethargy, and a longing for Spring as February drags into March.  In academia we feel it too, only just as Spring arrives the end of the semester and finals creep in to lay a blanket of overcast on us.  With this year's budget crisis, and furloughs combined with the national economy that leaves our students worried about what they will do after graduation it has been hard to find Spring.  But Spring will come in a few weeks after the finals end.

This year I find my students worn out long before the final exam.  They are a good group and I wish I could offer them some Spring.  While faculty may decry the sorry state of today's students and their poor work ethics, I was fortunate.  My students took the challenge I put before them to go beyond memorizing and master the logic of the science.

So for all those writing exams and those about to take them, keep your chin up, Spring will come.

T.S. Hall