I’m writing this blog post on the semester’s final day of classes. Tonight is the quadrennial end-of-term Harry Potter dinner, held in the Great Hall (photos at the end of the post!). I’ve already taken my German listening and speaking exams, but before I fly home I have to taken the German written exam and also finish final papers for my Spanish senior seminar and Transatlantic Childhoods. I’ll probably be spending the next eight days curled up like a gremlin in my increasingly-messy room.Almost every finals periods that I’ve spent at Bryn Mawr, I have signed up to proctor self-schedule exams. As you might know, many professors allow students the opportunity to schedule their own exams—this means that you go to Guild Hall on the day and time that you choose, collect the test, and then go to a designated classroom to take it. The exams are proctored by student volunteers, which is an easy way for me to support Bryn Mawr’s culture of self-government and academic integrity. Student proctors just have to hand out the tests and then remain in the testing area during the exam period, so I’ve often been able to get quite a lot of my own work done during that time.

It’s been a busy and interesting semester, and I’m very ready for the break. I plan to work on my thesis and start applying for jobs, but mostly to just relax and enjoy being home.