That time of year

This is the last full week of classes for the spring semester, the 2015-16 academic year, and the Fletcher in-class experience of those who are graduating.  And I know what it means for those of us on the staff.  There will still be a full house for the last day of classes on Monday, but the student population will drop off remarkably quickly after that.  Following two study days, first-year MALD and MIB students will take their exams and then start to disappear — most of them heading off to their internships.  Graduating students usually stay around to relax and participate in “Dis-Orientation” week before Commencement weekend, but they tend not to hang out in the building.  After Commencement, it will be very very quiet around here.

My informal and unscientific poll of students indicates that their current stress level varies greatly.  Whereas one student had the semester’s toughest week last week, another is looking ahead to a miserable finals week, and still another is suffering now.  They’re a remarkably durable bunch, though, and I know they’ll get through it.  Oh, and while they’re sweating over exams, papers, presentations, and capstones, there’s still a full agenda of out-of-class activities.

The Admissions Staff is just coming out of an especially busy month of meeting admitted applicants, answering questions, and otherwise doing what we needed to do to help students decide whether to enroll at Fletcher.  A little quiet seems like a good thing right now.  It will be less welcome by week six of the summer break, when we’ll very much wish for a student to pop in and interrupt our work.