By Dani Frank & Rebecca Astheimer, Assistant Editorial Editor & Columnist

Welcome readers to the final installment of two girls one Column (for the fall 2009 semester, that is). We admire the fact that you are taking time out of your busy ‘’hell week” in order to read or column. Or perhaps you’ve been on the floor of the Diz Liz for the past week and have finally picked yourself up and realized it isn’t “Alcohol Poisoning Thursday” anymore. Or, most likely, you’re just being lazy and haven’t started. If that’s the case, put this down, get a cup of Kobrick’s, whose coffee, including their alleged decaf, contains more caffeine than a gallon of Red Bull mixed with two shots of crack cocaine, and make yourself a nest in Hammer. To everyone else, we’d like to offer a recap to the disturbingly short, but still deadly, fall semester.

Let us begin by saying this has undoubtedly been the most rigorous semester of our entire Hofstra career (we know we said that last year, but this time… we’re serious. No, really.). From film shoots to intense journalism projects, friend and boy, not man, troubles, to financial and family issues, fall 2009 has thrown us a plethora of curve balls we’ve either dodged or been smacked in the face with. Forgive us for yawning in class, Professor Himelfarb, but our nights are sometimes spent doing more than watching Bill O’Reilly and perfecting our “grumpy elderly man at the polling place” voice, which brightens Dani’s Tuesdays and Thursdays at 12:45p.m., by the way. In addition, newfound tasks, such as obtaining internships and study abroad programs that had not plagued us in the past have now come to light. We’ve been so caught up in school these past two years, we haven’t been even thinking of the real reason we’re here; to get jobs and succeed in the ‘’real world.” And with the job market and economy as dismal as it ever has been, we have a lot on our plates.

Things started out straightforward. Classes didn’t seem too difficult from the get-go and our social lives were running smoothly. But come October, some bumps in the road appeared, and since forth, it’s been a hair-tearing, nail-biting roller coaster of frustrations. However, that has been the beauty of this entire experience. With every semester (and day, for that matter) we have become stronger. And maybe harder, better and faster, too. The occasional 10 page paper doesn’t phase us anymore, and we no longer bat an eyelash at spending a handful of hours at the library every other day. By next semester (assuming we do not fall into a Dunkin Donuts induced coma in the next two weeks and become confined to a Terri Schiavo like state for the next few years), we will be tanks of productivity, even more equipped to survive life stressors. Yes, internships are essentially the keys to locking down future careers, but if you haven’t been able to find one yet, don’t lose heart. We promise you’re not working in vain! College is meant to prepare you for what’s ahead (read: stress) and ignoring that will make you more inept in future endeavors, not just work.

Complaints and warnings aside, we’ve done our fair share of babbling and unwarranted word-vomiting. Now we’d like to hear from you! How was your semester in comparison to ours? What were the most difficult aspects, and how did you get through it? In order for us to speak to the student body, we must understand our audience. So give a little feedback (Janet Jackson style. Leather body suits encouraged!) on your year, and we will publish some interesting stories (anonymously… Don’t worry, no one will find out that you watch Sailor Moon—alone.), just as an interesting compilation of the trials and tribulations of University students. We’ll publish them next semester, so you’ve got plenty of time! That means no excuses! Email or us or we will bounty hunt you down, Beth Chapman style. Have an awesome break and good luck on exams, champions. See you next semester! Adieu.