It is no secret that winter quarter is quite possibly the worst three months of the school year. The temperature drops, the sun sets early, and the workload seems all the more unbearable. Let me preface this by saying that I have lived in southern California all my life until I came up to Davis for college. California may be known for its warm weather and sunshine, but that reputation neglects the winters that people experience in the northern half. Although it may not snow, the temperature difference between the other nine months and the three winter months is pretty drastic. The weather can greatly affect people’s mood. Stemming from the acronym of Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD, many college students have claimed to have seasonal depression during the cold, winter months.
It’s dangerous outside of the blankets. College students who live in off-campus apartments are expected to pay electric and gas bills that only escalate during winter with the usage of central heating and hot water. Some choose not to constantly have the heat on, because they can’t afford the spike in bills for those months. We are all the less motivated to get up out of the comfort and warmth of our beds to attend classes. With the COVID-19 pandemic and schools administering online learning, students are currently able to stay within the comfort of their homes to attend classes through Zoom. Overall, the morale is low.
As previously mentioned, this winter quarter is held online and therefore students are able to conduct their education from their homes. Perhaps this will be the motivation for time management skills and higher attendance. However, this quarter will have a slight tipping point in that we will have one hour less to study for finals!!! Daylight savings begins the Sunday of finals week, therefore taking away an hour of study, or sleep, time. It seems silly that an hour difference in time will have an effect, but for some reason, my body’s internal clock gets jumbled and I have to learn to adjust.
