Final Year Syndrome.

I recently finished my final exams. They were different this time around, in that I felt mostly indifferent about the whole ordeal - much like how I was throughout the whole semester. There was no anxiety, no great urgency - I was pretty relaxed and laidback about studying and while sitting for the exams themselves. 

I'm definitely not getting a perfect GPA for the past semester, but I guess the reason I'm not overly upset about it is partly because I know I don't deserve to. Besides, my days of chasing 4 flats are long gone now. It's all about doing well enough to obtain first-class honors so that I won't have to pay off my PTPTN loan.

I've contracted what I like to call Final Year Syndrome (FYS). I've come to the point where I've grown somewhat disillusioned with university life and just want to get it all over with so I can get a job, make my own money, start a family, and basically just begin life on my own. Classes and studies are no longer the primary focus of a semester, but are merely nuisances that get in the way of extra-curricular activities.

At the same time, I do realize that the most important thing at university is my studies. I mean, that's why I'm here for, isn't it? I'm not paying thousands every semester to organize events, write for a newsletter, or play futsal - I could actually get paid to do all that out in the real world. The main purpose of going to university is to study and earn my formal academic qualifications - everything else should be coming second.

Unfortunately, it's not as easy as simply quitting all the student societies and organizations that I'm currently affiliated with and just hitting the books every day. In most cases, I'm in too deep, and quitting would just be irresponsible of me. The problem with setting high standards for yourself is that it's difficult to find a successor who'll be able to meet those standards.

But let's not think about all this depressing stuff right now. I'm on holiday for the next two weeks and I intend to give myself a well-deserved break. I bought a bunch of books with my government-issued book vouchers and I intend to finish at least one or two of them by the time the next semester begins. It's been a while since I've had time to read fiction; possibly since last semester started.

Besides reading, I haven't really made any other plans for the next two weeks. I might meet up with some friends, but that's not cast in stone. I see myself just sitting at home, reading my books, surfing the internet, doing some writing, going for the odd outing every now and then, but that's about it. Before the upcoming storm of the next semester arrives, I'd like to spend some time in calm waters.