Picture stepping outside of your dorm one sunny afternoon to the sight of several students hitting each other with foam weapons to your right, a large group of people with stained fingers tie-dyeing t-shirts to your left, and about a dozen smaller groups of students studying on blankets mixed somewhere in between. You cannot place your finger on it, but there is something different about spring semester at Guilford, something that makes you know intuitively that this semester will be better than the last.

My memories of fall semester are usually of the last few weeks when I existed in a dreamlike state, my eyes swollen from the exhaustion of finals week. There were moments over the winter holiday when I did not want to return to classes because I did not want to feel the trepidation of finals. Exam week of fall semester completely squandered my enjoyment of college.

However, the moment I set foot onto campus in early January, a thrill of excitement ran up my spine. I knew that this was where I wanted to be. I was already moved into my room and I knew that my roommate and I were compatible enough to live together. The concerns that many college students face about their new living arrangements at the beginning of the school year don’t exist as strongly in the second semester.

Instead of worrying about sleeping well and getting along with my roommate, I could focus on my classes and my friends. I expected this optimism and familiarity to dwindle, but my zest for college life only grew.

We all recognize the giddiness that occasionally rears its head over the course of the spring semester. Blooming flowers dot the campus, twittering birds cheerfully greet you each morning, and trees become lush and green once again. We have a beautiful campus, and this natural beauty only contributes to the experience of spring.

Just as nature comes to life, the campus itself also begins to thrive as warm weather sets in.

Guilford possesses a strong sense of community, but in the hustle of finals and the inconvenience of the cold weather, this sense fades a bit. The lake, the woods, and the meadows are all popular places for students to just relax and escape for a few hours, but this does not happen as often in the fall due to the cold.

After all, nothing makes Guilford feel more like home than seeing dozens of students outside basking in the sun, studying, or just chilling with friends.

This semester brings us new classes and experiences, but it is also the second time around, the same year. By this point, we are more knowledgeable about our roommate situation and a bit more confident about our ability to perform well as students.

The spring semester is a time for redemption from the mistakes, both academic and social, that we made during the fall semester. The conflicts of last semester are gone and we can start fresh.

It is a chance for us to learn from our previous experiences. We are just a little wiser than we were at the start of the year. Armed with yet another semester of college, we can use this spring semester to make this year even better.