By: Maya Barillas Mohan, Staff Writer
Spring semester always feels like a struggle for the finish line with the summer semester lurking around the corner. Possibly the best-lit semester of the school calendar, actually. I’m from the prairies, so the weather doesn’t turn or stay nearly this nice this easily in Alberta. School is the whole reason I get to be in this situation at all, as arduous as it can sometimes feel. Starting in May and ending in August, this sunny semester is the most relaxed part of my year. Maybe the slim course selection helps — I’m lucky the last class I need to graduate was offered.
It only took 10 (!!!) seasons of finals to know my way around SFU. While the Burnaby campus is closer to a fortress than a cruise ship, you will interact with its multi-layered design differently throughout the year. In winter, you get access to a 3 inch curving track crossing the koi pond, whereas in the summer, you actually get to see the fish! In the summer there’s nooks and hills atop the mountain itself, making way for some eccentric study spots near the AQ pond. On the inner stairs by the Trottier Observatory, find a spot in the plush grass under a big tree. Luxuriating under the shade is best accompanied by a book so your laptop and eyes don’t have to struggle against the glare. When I graduate, I think I’ll miss getting a green apple and a soft croissant from Nesters.
Bookending classes with a snack or a stroll around the low-rise apartment buildings is idyllic in a way I just know my future work office won’t be.
In my experience, summer classes are smaller, so the lessons feel a bit less opaque than the usual crammed lecture halls are. Something about the long days lining up with the last mile of my degree means I can remove the tunnel-vision essay goggles for the dewy start of a semester one last time. Being a student means priorities overlap and conflict, but it’s easier to manage with a lighter course load and more elbow room on campus.
Sitting by the window can be a welcome distraction — but the extra-long days mean that balmy Burnaby will still be waiting for you after the drudgery of a tutorial limping on with its broken projector. With this being my last semester, I’m glad it fell together in such a way that I can finish strong, and maybe even a little sunburnt from sitting beside that AQ window.
