Seniors relax during their last quarter

By Alexa Dijulio

With only 36 days until graduation, a time when all of campus could be experiencing the effects of senioritis, many seniors have already fulfilled graduation requirements, leaving time to enjoy their final quarter at Santa Clara with few or no classes.

On a Friday evening, senior Brady Harter said, "I thought today was Sunday because I haven't done anything for three days. People were walking around with backpacks on, and I couldn't figure out why."

Jenny Richardi, a senior marketing major, laughed when she said, "I do nothing," as she sat on a La-Z-Boy in her living room, computer and TV flashing simultaneously in front of her.

Richardi has only one class this quarter. She has a strong sense of relief about her school load but is quickly moving into a new stress mode -- the kind that has to do with "real life," she said.

Part of the trend at Santa Clara to minimize class load during senior year or to finish early has to do with the warm weather, fun off-campus activities and the appeal of bumming around during the spring, but it also gives students time to prepare for life after college.

Harter, a finance major who took a full load each quarter until he reached senior year, could have graduated after winter quarter, but decided to continue taking classes while he job hunts. He has two classes this quarter, but neither is necessary for graduation. He said he is only putting "real" effort into one.

"At our school, you are most definitely in the minority if you haven't figured anything out before graduation," Richardi said of her concern for finding a job. She has been using her free time not only to "do nothing," but also to interview for jobs.

Kathy Potter, director of the Career Center, said that students graduating early might have a leg up on the rest of students who do not graduate until June, but went on to add that it depends on the time crunch that each individual employer is under to find employees. "Though it would be fun," she said, "to get the hard stuff done early."

The cost per unit for part-time students, according to the 2006-2007 undergraduate fees schedule, is $1,030. Taking less than 10 units and paying part-time fees seems much more reasonable than paying the full $10,300 for only two upper-division classes. Similarly, the work load of one or no classes, for one reason or another, is far more appealing than the possibility of three finals during the second full week of June.

However, even with only one class, some seniors say they are struggling to keep up. Jamie Gaines, a senior economics major who is enrolled in one class for his final quarter, said the light load is fantastic. But he also mentioned, "That hour and a half I actually do have to sit in class is just miserable."

Ashley Long, who graduated in the winter as a management major, has already begun working part time for her future full-time employer. She said sarcastically of her job, "It really limits my drinking."

Lauren Taddune, a communication major who is only taking her senior thesis this quarter, recently finished the internship she has had for the past three years.

"It has been advantageous because I have had a lot of open time to interview," she said. Taddune now has a job lined up with an interactive marketing agency, where she will be starting before the end of the spring.

The competition in the job market with students from schools on a semester schedule, who graduate within the next week, proves to be a problem for some students.

While Taddune says she feels lucky that she was able to tell her company that she could begin right away, students who have a full load this quarter do not have that luxury and could lose an offer as a result.

Whether or not students plan on being productive or simply kicking back during their final quarter at Santa Clara, taking few or no classes seems to be the way to go. The real world is waiting, and it might not want the burnt-out seniors who can only recognize the day of the week by the amount of time it has been since they last did something worth remembering.

Contact Alexa Dijulio at (408) 551-1918 or adijulio@scu.edu.