Recently, I caught myself looking back on my time here at the University of Oregon and I wondered which quarter was the most difficult for me. Fall was a rough start, especially starting out in a new city from scratch. Then winter term came and my class load was insane, along with my seasonal depression. Finally, in spring, the sun came back, but my motivation was at an all-time low; or in summer when no one was on campus.
I asked a couple of friends the same question, and the responses varied. Some said that fall was the worst, especially freshman year since they were adjusting to college for the first time, and one of my coworkers said spring because of “Spring Slump.”
Personally, I automatically knew which term was the worst for me, it was an easy choice: winter term.
My winter term was filled with hardship, seasonal depression and an overload of homework and obligations. Not only was that the lowest point for me that year due to the lack of Vitamin D, but I also took two science classes and a language course which left me drowning in an ocean of my own procrastination and daily dose of six hours worth of homework.
To my surprise, it was just me who felt the same way. I created a survey with about 51 responses from UO students and asked them the same question I asked myself: Which term is the hardest on Ducks?
Fall term came out to about 27.5%, spring term came out to about 15.7%, and no one chose summer. Affirming my own opinion, the percentage of students who picked the winter term was 51%. The rest of the percentages which were students claiming they were unsure was the remaining 5.8%.
The vast majority of students who selected winter cited their main reason as seasonal depression.
“The lack of sunlight can contribute to depression in the winter,” UO sophomore Maddie Center said.“Additionally, winter term usually involves taking the next part of a sequence of classes, which is typically more difficult than the previous one taken in fall term. For freshmen, the winter term is when you realize that college isn’t all just fun and games. The culmination of all these things makes it increasingly difficult to attend class.”
“I think the seasonal depression adds to it, but like fall is like easy going to help the freshmen ease into college, but then winter term always feels like it goes on forever and feels like the classes go on forever,” Leah Esker, a UO junior said.
“It is cold and miserable and rainy and we just had a month off, my brain is not up to speed with what the professors are teaching. Wake up and go to class when it’s still dark, leave class to go home and it’s still dark. It is usually the term that I have the hardest classes too,” UO junior Ellia Evans said.
I also asked students for tips and tricks to handle their winter tern blues.
Some students, such as UO sophomore Olivia Akers, recommended spending time on self-care. UO senior Savannah Preston mentioned going to the counseling center, also reminding students to spend time with friends. Around five to six different students warned others, specifically freshmen, not to skip, because it’s a difficult habit to quit.
Every term has its roses and thorns, but students seem to agree that winter is especially thorny. Nobody’s experience is the same, however, I think everyone can agree that winter term makes you want to rip your hair out.
Stay warm, stay positive and stay connected this winter; you’re going to need it. But remember: it all gets better.
