Winter at Stanford is notoriously the worst. It’s cold(er than usual) and sometimes it rains. If that wasn’t bad enough, classes are also hard.
Seriously though. Winter sucks compared to the rest of the year. In the Fall we are all shiny and new, ready to tackle classes and social network! By the time Winter rolls around you’ve been beaten down by the fact a passing grade in Math 51 doesn’t actually mean that you have a mastery, or even a working knowledge, of Linear Algebra and Multivariable Calculus.
And then Winter Break is the mullet version of a vacation. Too long in the front and too short in the back. The quarter system spits us out of school a good week or two before any of our friends who have semesters. So you descend into a deserted hometown and lay on the couch watching your dog watch you. Then everyone comes home ready to rekindle old friendships, but classes at Stanford start that Monday.
And then Winter, as we have already discussed, is the worst. You take more units than you should, you eat more late-night than you should, and you are constantly irritated because you did not move to California for this rain!
HOWEVER. Spring quarter is a shining beacon of light that represents all things beautiful.
1. That Weather Tho
All at once the skies are blue again and the sun is as hot and bright as last year’s Phi Psi pledges. Meyer Green calls to you like never before. Or, if you’re looking for “Cabo Stanf Lucas”, look no farther than Wilbur field, where bathing suits and textbooks exist in perfect harmony. Honestly, fake turf has never been more appealing. Also, if you’re lucky you might catch a glimpse of Quidditch practice — which is always bewitching.
2. Lighter Workload
You aren’t quite as ambitious as you were last quarter, so you lighten up on the schoolwork.
Sure, graduating in four years might have seemed like the move, however, on second thought it seems slightly overrated. Sleep might not be as useless as everyone says it is, and it could be nice to have the time for luxuries like showering.
3. You become ~healthier~
You simply can’t spend any more late nights at Late Night. I mean, truly, you’ve done the math, and it’s a fact. After taking the heat into account, and therefore adding gelato into your meal plan budget, you know that you can’t keep blowing through meal plan dollars at Llaga. And there are only so many chicken tendies and mozz sticks that a girl can eat before her Red Zone t-shirt starts feeling a little snug.
4. Fountain hopping
The glorious aquatic incarnation of Stanford irreverence. There’s nothing quite like gingerly stepping into a chlorinated fountain in front of a group of tourists documenting the special moment. Unfortunately, it’s always slightly unclear how exactly one fountain hops — how far into the fountain do you go? Do you go into the part that’s actually spraying water? Are there any sharp edges that you should be looking out for? When is your RBA due?
So after running all of these possibilities through R, you can tell from the multinomial linear regression of aquatic recreation that the best way to optimize your fun is to stand slightly off to the side and say “the weather is so nice, I’m so glad that I’m not in PWR right now”. PWR sucks.
So everyone get excited. The best quarter of the year is upon us, and it shall be lit.