“In the Spring Time, the only pretty ring time,
When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding”
The quote above is not a scat session from a 20s-era big band, nor is it the bridge of the new Drake sequel cleverly named “Hot Line Spring.” No, they are the words of Shakespeare, the master of words, the voice of love, the reason you failed ninth grade literature. He, above any other, is the ultimate advocate for Spring and, more importantly, so am I. There is something about Spring semester that makes students calmer and the time go by a bit quicker. Here are a few reasons why Spring semester is the season of choice for most students (and poets):
1. Summer Break > Winter Break
Though winter break is jammed packed with holidays and parties, it is also filled with expectations. Family time is a must, and New Years Eve has been officially anointed as the most overrated holiday. Summer is easy and wide open, and more importantly, summer is LONG. Winter break is just a tease to what summer break has to offer.
2. Spring Break
There is a reason that my French host family last summer interrupted dinner to ask me “Vhat iz Spring Break, exactly?” It’s notorious, and not just because it allowed Selena Gomez to finally make the transition from Disney to delinquency. It is, again, about expectations. Thanksgiving break is comforting, but Spring Break doesn’t involve noisy family members asking about your relationship status. The only expectations Spring Break has is FUN. And lots (maybe too much?) of it. And again, Spring Break is LONG.
3. No Football
Okay, let me explain. Football is great. Football is wonderful. However, being at UT, football is mandatory. Fall semester is filled with football. During the spring semester, our weekends are wide open. We don’t have to stress about picking a game day outfit or planning various tailgates. We don’t have sunburns from being on the wrong side of the stadium. No blisters from ill-fitting cowboy boots. Spring weekends can be better spent.
4. Weather
I know that Texas often disappoints in Spring. Usually, Texas disappoints in all seasons. However, there is always a small period in Spring, maybe just a week or two, when the weather is perfect. It’s been long enough that we have been able to forget the trials of August heat, and a cold winter has been non-existent this year. So, we are left with this small in-between period, where we can wear a jacket in the morning and a t-shirt in the afternoon. We can forget about back-pack sweat, if only for a while.