The spring semester will be jam-packed with more sports and social events than ever before because of COVID-related postponements. Students should start preparing for what their year will look like.

Basketball, softball, baseball, volleyball, soccer, tennis and track will all take place in one semester. This means that student athletes and sports fans alike are in for a jam-packed few months. In addition to the mass of sports, social events will also increase due to pledging moving to the spring. While the spring semester usually holds Sing Song and socials, the addition of pledging will further impact students’ free time.

With all of these events crammed into the spring semester, students should remember that they do not have to participate in everything. Classwork and mental health should be a priority before social events.

For those graduating in May, this semester might be the hardest in your college careers. Being careful not to overload yourself  with social activities on top of classwork and personal obligations is key to success and graduating on time.

In order to keep from becoming overwhelmed, make sure that you are getting enough sleep, eating properly, and planning out your day, being sure to include breaks.

As well as not overloading your mental health, it is still important to remember that we are in a pandemic. Abilene is worse than it has ever been, and coming back to Abilene with unknown amounts of positive cases for the new semester won’t help that. Just because it is a new year does not mean the virus has gone away, so it is important that we stay focused on staying safe and socially distanced when possible.

It’s worth noting that many of these social events, like pledging, were planned in the fall but found its way to 2021 because of campus outbreaks. Hopefully we can correct our mistakes in the fall going forward.

The amount of activities for the upcoming semester is unlike anything the university has experienced. More student-athletes will be competing, pledging will undoubtedly impact students’ schedules and Sing Song is right down the corner.

So enjoy your break and recuperate from one of the most unusual fall semesters because spring 2021 has plenty on the plate.