Back-to-back major hurricanes, a loss that shook USF and a semester that left students with never-ending due dates on top of all of this.

It sounds like a nightmare, but unfortunately, this was a reality for USF students.

With the final weeks approaching, students are left facing stressful final project due dates, grade-altering tests and the pressure of wrapping up the semester. 

Related: USF changed finals week for fall. Here’s what that means.

But with this final stretch comes the light at the end of the tunnel.

Let’s finally put this heinous semester to a close and have hope that the spring semester brings greener pastures. 

For starters, the USF schedule was not prepared to handle the double-whammy of two hurricanes. 

Students were left picking up the pieces while professors scrambled to fit all the work necessary this semester. 

With the rollercoaster of due date changes on top of preparing for the hurricane, it almost felt like I couldn’t catch my breath.

Related: USF puts the A+ in Advice

I remember panicking by my computer trying to finish a quiz as I heard the wind roar outside my house while the power slowly flickered on and off. 

With no clear direction as to what the due dates had been changed to, I found myself panicked to simply turn it in. It left me as rattled as my windows during the hurricane. 

For Julia Kobzar, a senior in mass communications, the unexpected preparation and ever changing due dates left her with a loss of motivation. 

“The changes in schedule for school as well as the stress of preparing for the hurricane really threw off my momentum for this semester,” Kobzar said. “I feel a bit lazier to do work because I lost a lot of the motivation but I’m just pushing to finish this semester.”

Related: USF students feel burnout after hurricanes: ‘We’re all playing catch up’

Some professors feel the same. 

Marvin Karlins, a professor in the Muma College of Business, said the schedule has to be jampacked in order to keep up with the regular day-to-day of the semester. 

“What you’re doing is taking a 16-week semester, basically taking two weeks out of it, but still expecting 16 weeks of work,” Karlins said. 

But that 16 weeks of work had to be done on top of personal struggles. 

For a storm that lasted only a day, Karlins was left with $70,000 worth of damages to his Riverview home.

“We lost our roof, nine of our most beautiful trees,” Karlins said. “It was horrific.”

USF was also emotionally shaken with the death of men’s basketball coach Amir Abdur-Rahim.

Related: USF celebrates the life of Amir Abdur-Rahim, announces new tributes in his honor

The impact of his death affected everyone differently. 

Karlins said his death is extremely unfortunate considering how young he was. It’s especially devastating considering Abdur-Rahim had three children.

“There’s always that feeling, a certain amount of remorse and sadness for that person,” Karlins said. “They never had the opportunity to see things that they might have wanted to see, like their family growing up or their career moving forward.”

What happened to USF this semester was devastating to say the very least.

With these final weeks coming up, just know that after you’ve hit rock bottom, the only way to go is up. 

It’s important to come together as Bulls to support one another and hold each other up during the final stretch.