As classes come to their first extended pause of the fall semester, Cornell students are dealing with preparing for both semi-final exams and move-out.
The transition marks the beginnings of the end to an unprecedented fall semester for Cornell students. The semi-final period — as well as move-out dates — come at similar times, creating a unique scenario for students. Semi-final exams are being administered both in-person and online, meaning that while some students can leave, others will have to stay longer.
“I feel stressed about the semi-final period being so close to move out because I may not have been as organized for my tests and move out as I would have been otherwise,” Shaili Lakhotia ’24 said.
Lakhotia wants to make it home for Thanksgiving, but has to stay in Ithaca up until the last semi-final date, Nov. 24 — two days before Thanksgiving. Lakhotia had to schedule both a bus and a flight just to get home to the Bay Area in time for the holiday.
“The fact that I have to move out within 24 hours of my last test to get home for Thanksgiving is a little aggressive in my opinion,” she said. Lakhotia is moving out five days before Nov. 29, the last possible move out date for students living in on-campus housing.
Ben Lee ’24, on the other hand, said he isn’t as stressed about the upcoming weeks, as his semi-final and departure dates worked out well.
“I don’t really feel stressed about the semi-final period and move out dates being close. I think I have plenty of time to study and pack as my dates luckily work out; my move out date is two days after my last semi-final,” he said.
With semi-finals taking place from Nov. 17 to Nov. 24, students noted an increased workload this past week of classes as professors prepared classes for exams, a change described as stressful by Lee.
“I think my classes have been more difficult because the exams have all overlapped into the same time period, and my teachers are forcing a lot of material on me before the semi-finals,” he said.
Aaron Yagnik ‘24 experienced the same increase in workload.
“A lot of my classes that are transitioning to online have been adding coursework, especially in my engineering classes,” he said. “They have gotten much worse this week, my professors have been cramming the rest of the material in as fast as they can.”
Most students following the semi-final period are planning on returning home and celebrating the break with their families. Yagnik said he looks forward to this short break.
“I’m excited to go home and celebrate the holidays with my family,” he said. “I’m looking forward to it.”