Arch isn’t that bad

On campus tours before starting as a freshman, student ambassadors and staff talk about The Arch as a unique experience to further push our academic and professional career. I was intrigued, excited for a program similar to those of Northeastern University and other colleges across the country. Seeing the “Arch Bad” t-shirts walking around campus, it is evident that not everyone agrees with the positive sentiment. As a senior who finished my summer semester and arch away experience, I began to reflect on the experience as a whole now that I am back on campus.

With the recent news that The Arch Summer on campus as we know it is officially optional, I am happily surprised that students now can decide what they want to do. We can assume that this may mean more people are going to opt-out. Before completely writing it off because it seems that everyone agrees it’s bad, I urge students to analyze their options and think about what the program could do for them.

Starting with the summer semester, I actually mostly enjoyed it. During normal semesters, I am very involved in clubs on campus, and love seeing the friends I have made during our club meetings and events. Although the summer semester doesn’t usually have those active clubs anymore, having my friends in my year on campus with more time was a nice opportunity to hang out and do more off-campus activities. For me, when I look back on the summer, I think about the hours of binge watching television with friends, exploring downtown, and local hikes I don’t get to do as much during the year. From random Walmart or Popeyes excursions on Tuesday night to running around North Lot, I fondly remember that summer of what we called “unemployment activities.” Academic-wise, I was taking some classes that were pretty academically challenging, all the while having extra time to go to office hours and meet with study groups which helped me out a ton. I was in a group project class as well, in which the extra time was incredibly helpful for my group. Additionally, the quiet Union was so nice to do work in.

I, then, took my Spring semester away and worked for a manufacturing company for seven months. After being in school for five total semesters, I had so many classes and skills under my belt to prepare for my co-op. Especially in my curriculum, I don’t take many major-specific courses until the later part of my degree. Although the summer semester was not at all perfect, the long co-op experience made it the most worth it. Although two internships over the two extra summers is some great networking, the seven or eight month co-op let me lead multiple projects and really dive into the work at my company. I got great experience in different projects across the two businesses the company has, making process improvements over all the manufacturing lines. I got to learn so many new things, meet new people, and really feel like an employee.

Given my generally positive attitude on both the summer and away semesters, it would make sense that I would be unhappy about the general downward trend in The Arch away semester for all students. However, I am happy that the school made the program optional. The downsides and concerns that people raise on the program are totally real.

The Summer semester can be lonely and have a general sad tone. Although it is nice having your friends on campus and extra space in the Union to study, any friends not in your cohort (or Arch-exempt) are gone. It can feel sad being in school without your friends who are not on campus. With less clubs and events on campus, it is harder to meet and see people, especially if you don’t go out of your way to ask to hang out with people. Additionally, having that third semester—and fourth if you are Spring-Away—is mentally draining. By the time the Fall came around, my friends and I were not as studious and willing to work as we usually were. I was able to do well in my classes, but I was procrastinating more and found it harder to do the same amount of work as I usually do. In my clubs' scene, being away for the Spring made it harder to come back this Fall after being away.

Financially, doing the three (or four) semesters in a row is also challenging. College is not cheap, and so many students on campus also purposely get out of The Arch for the pure reason of not being able to afford the semesters in a row. Making money over the Summer can be crucial for tuition, and that financial aspect—with traditionally no approval of off campus living and dining—is such a pitfall of the program. Since I had an off-campus apartment for Junior year, for part of the Summer I (and so many students) were double paying for housing. So many people were unhappy having to pay for on-campus housing while not even living there. I even know people who never picked up their key.

I definitely had issues with The Arch, but if I were to go back and have it be completely optional, I would still do it. I had more time to really hang out with my friends, where we grew closer and did more college shenanigans. The long co-op experience made the boring times even more worth it, especially as I now think about post graduation. Although mental, physical, and financial concerns are 100 percent valid, if you truly have the choice to do The Arch, I would consider what makes the most sense for you and what you really want.