Your final semester is a liminal space: A mere 13 weeks in which past, present, and future warp relentlessly into one another. The library that sheltered you in your darkest hour no longer feels like home, but it is not yet a memory either. You half-listen to a lecture by your favourite professor, mentally rehearsing post-grad plans. Swept in the undercurrents of fear and excitement, it can feel that you’re already half elsewhere. But your last semester will draw to a close, whether you savour it or not: As a tenant of this tenuous time, you can choose whether to let it pass unremarkably or allow it to shape a deliberate, meaningful goodbye. 

Be present

The impending end of student life may usher in a host of forward-thinking concerns. Amidst the chaos of inevitable LinkedIn rabbit holes and polarizing grad school Reddit threads, do not get lost in the future while your present moment escapes you. For some, this might mean refraining from filling out applications while sitting in class. For others, mindfulness may constitute taking mental notes of the way the afternoon light filters through a library window or allowing yourself to linger in the small, unremarkable moments of campus life that once felt permanent and now feel transient. Before the deadlines, decisions, and titles trickle in, making constant attempts to define your adult life, there is value in remembering who you were when your primary obligation was to learn—and in recognizing that this version of yourself deserves your full attention, if only for a little while longer.

Make time for friends

At a time when plans are postponed in favour of productivity and conversations are cut short by the pressures of what comes next, try to use these final months to exist alongside those who have shaped and supported you at this stage in your life. Make time for shared meals, late-night talks, and the long way home. Be honest, caring, and kind. The assignments will be submitted and the emails will be answered, but the moments shared among friends are the ones you will reach for when campus life becomes something you speak about in the past tense.

Visit the places you love

McGill students come from over 150 countries, and many will leave Montreal after graduating. Take the time to visit the places that have made this city home. Whether it’s the cafe that witnessed your first nervous midterm season, the park where conversations stretched long after the sun set, or the slushy streets that sent you off to class, these spaces have held versions of you that will not return in quite the same way. A complete goodbye bids adieu to places too.

Express gratitude

Allow the constant stream of reflection to make way for gratitude. As you take stock of the moments that have shaped you, turn your attention to the people who made them possible. Thank the mentor who made you a better leader, the friend who always listened, and the professor whose encouragement made all the difference. Gratitude does not need to be elaborate or performative; you can channel it into a brief message, a simple acknowledgment, or a conversation you have been meaning to initiate. These expressions may seem small, but they have weight for both you and the recipient. In recognizing the support you received, you affirm that no chapter of your life is written alone—and that this one, too, was shaped by more than just your own efforts.