First semester in Santa's bag - The University of Tulsa
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First semester in Santa’s bag

By: Matthew Sexter

Santa Claus with Matthew Sexter and friends
Santa visiting campus!

In the span of a single day, the holiday season had taken over The University of Tulsa by storm. This became apparent as my unassuming Thursday-evening stroll to the Pat Case Dining Center seemed to be straight out of a fairy tale. Christmas lights adorned the trees outside McFarlin Library, Christmas carols echoed off the Sharp Chapel’s bells and, to top it all off, word got out that Santa himself had visited our campus. All of this was an absolute treat to the hardest working students this town has ever seen.

Sunset over downtown Tulsa
Another beautiful Oklahoma sunset

During all of this holiday beauty and revelry, the beast that is “Finals Week” had arrived. As a result of this, the to-do list hanging from my bulletin board would not stop screaming at me – and my studying had multiplied tenfold as a result. However,  I am proud to say that I survived the notorious “Dead Week” after passing all of my classes with a 3.7 GPA! This provided me with a huge sigh of relief going into Christmas Break.

Looking back five months ago to those hot August days, I would not even have been able to comprehend how stimulating collegiate life would be. That being said, I’d like to believe that the culmination of the challenges I faced during my first semester at TU made me a more well-informed and confident student. This is possible for any prospective – or current – student to achieve by practicing good organizational methods and study habits, as well as getting adequate sleep. Nevertheless, it is safe to say that my family of friends and faculty here at TU played a pivotal role in my success and I truly cannot wait to see what this next semester has in store for all of us!

Matthew Sexter in the TU Business Center at the Tulsa International Airport
TU’s Business Center at the Tulsa International Airport

Matthew Sexter is a first-year student at The University of Tulsa pursuing a bachelor of science in nursing degree. He is an avid automotive enthusiast, sci-fi binge-watcher and global traveler.