Goodbye Fall 2022

The fall semester is coming to an end. Endings bring different feelings for different people: relief, happiness, anxiety, sadness, closure, and more. The most important thing to keep in mind is that endings are also beginnings. Especially for students, it is important to remember this. 

After December 9, the fall semester is officially over, and students are on winter break. Oftentimes, when a student didn’t perform how they wanted during the semester, they will dwell on the past and think about what could have gone differently. A fact about the past that is both terrifying and comforting is that it cannot be changed. The best thing that you can do for yourself is to reflect on your experiences and use them to improve in the future. Of course, this is easier said than done, but that is why FSU has resources like Counseling & Psychological Services to help students with mental skills as well as the Academic Center for Excellence to help students with academic skills. The beginning of a new semester is right around the corner which means an opportunity to put in effect what you learned from the fall semester and make any necessary changes.

For fall 2022 graduates, this ending is truly just a beginning. Whether you are starting your career, entering into graduate school, or beginning another path of your choosing, your time at FSU is a small but significant chapter of your story. The bittersweet feeling of an ending is how you know that your experiences through that time were special. Take these memories and look back on them fondly, and don’t let mistakes made in a class or a failing grade on a test define you. These are little bumps in a much larger journey. As your time at FSU comes to an end, reflect on the moments in your undergraduate studies that you believe were the toughest and realize how they made you stronger and created who you are today.

For families, it’s important to realize that these endings can be hard on your student. Remind them that it’s going to be okay, what’s done is done, and we can only control how we deal with these obstacles in the future. If your student is graduating, celebrate them and all of their accomplishments, but don’t forget to take a moment and pat yourself on the back for all of the love and support that you have given them during the most transitional time of their life. These endings are for you, too. 

"There's a trick to the 'graceful exit.' It begins with the vision to recognize when a job, a life stage, or a relationship is over--and let it go. It means leaving what's over without denying its validity or its past importance to our lives. It involves a sense of future, a belief that every exit line is an entry, that we are moving up, rather than out."

-Ellen Goodman

We leave you with words from FSU students that encapsulate what endings mean to them.