Syllabus Week

As at most schools, the first few days of classes are kind of a breeze because you don’t have any assignments (yet), you still have the option of dropping that class that already seems like a hassle, you have yet to buy your textbooks, and the professors spend the majority of class time going through the syllabus.

At William & Mary this first week of the semester is often referred to as Syllabus Week, which is known to be short and sweet. Students spend their ample free time catching up with friends, trying out new classes at the gym, browsing Amazon for deals on textbooks (and maybe clothes…), and listening to professors explain midterm assignments that seem very, very far off at the moment.

While Syllabus Week is definitely not demanding, it comes after winter break, where you have no responsibilities to speak of. After 5 weeks of never having to set an alarm, waking up for a 9:30 class can feel like a drag. Still, the first few weeks of the semester are filled with a combination of relaxation and blissful optimism about your ability to keep assignments organized, workout every day, and get more sleep. I personally am enjoying these first days of my last semester, and I intend to spend them color coding my planner and/or catching up on episodes of Parks and Recreation.