I can see the finish line

A few weeks ago (on April 18th to be exact) thousands of runners came through Boston, all running the Boston Marathon. I went out with my friend Ali to cheer them on, and honestly it was one of the most inspirational things I have ever seen. There I was, standing at the 22 mile mark, and these people are still running. At that point, they can taste the finish line; after all, it's only a few short miles away. They've overcome Heartbreak Hill, they've made it this far, and by God, they are going to finish.

Which brings me to my semester. I am at that point. I might even be at the 23 mile point. But I can see the finish line. This coming week is the last week of classes; in fact, they end on Thursday, just in time to celebrate Cinco de Mayo (which you better believe I will - I need a margarita!). I have two finals next week - one on Tuesday and one on Thursday. And then it's done. Over. Summer will finally be here.


And I could not be happier. This semester has been the roughest semester of my academic career. I do not enjoy my classes, I feel like I'm not learning anything, and everything is basically a big slap in the face. The reason I don't like any of my classes is because I didn't get to pick them - the only class I did pick, I like. But everything else was a requirement, which I understand I have to take. That doesn't mean I have to like it though. Grading is so subjective, and I feel like no matter how much effort I put into an assignment, no matter how good I think it is or my peers think it is, I get a B. First of all, a B is for Bad in my book, but not in grad school. Here, professors think B's are great work. Not in my little 4.0 head. So that's disheartening. It's also disheartening when someone who didn't put nearly as much time into a project as you did ends up with a much higher grade. It makes me not want to try. Which is a horrible feeling when you're spending so much money on this "great" education.


Don't get me wrong; I am so grateful for the education I am receiving, and most of the time, I'm really happy here. But I am so ready for this semester to be over, to start my internship, and to start back in the fall, renewed and refreshed. I can't wait to spend some time at the beach, hang out with my friends, and go on vacation with my family. I'm ready to really get a chance to explore Boston, and I'm really ready for my little (sorority term) Teresa to get to Harvard in July!


I just have to make it through these next two weeks first...