As the weather in the city continues to fluctuate between hot and cold this spring, the morale on campus is shifting with it. John Jay students say the sunlight is boosting their mood, energy, and motivation, especially after months of seasonal depression and winter fatigue. 

Seasonal depression is an issue plaguing college students all over America, and often the only reprieve is that first warm day of spring or summer.

Sometimes the sun pops its head in for a week before it decides to get cold again. Other times, it decides it’s here to stay.

When the sun comes out, students’ energy is brighter and this energy cultivates a better environment on John Jay campus.

Elijah Bernard, 26, a Forensic Science major in his senior year, spoke about how the shift in seasons affects his mood. 

“I never believed in seasonal depression until I came to New York from Trinidad and Tobago five years ago and I experienced my first winter,” said Bernard.  

With the spring semester coming to a close, students are gearing up for many things, whether that be a job or internship for the summer, opportunities for next semester, completing finals, or just life. 

On top of that, they have to find the motivation to do all these things through seasonal depression. It’s a grueling task.

For Bernard, this shift in weather was a big adjustment.

“Going to sleep in the dark and waking up in the dark was the most depressing thing ever,” said Bernard. “But as soon as it gets warm, it feels like life is worth living again.” 

Bernard, who is used to the warm tropics year round, says warmer weather brings a noticeable emotional shift.  

“As soon as it gets to 17 degrees Celsius, you want to go everywhere,” he said. “You start to appreciate nature more and even say ‘Good Morning’ more.”

Not all students agree that warm weather always improves productivity. Amelia Espinal, 19, a Forensic Science major, offered a new point of view.

“More enjoyable weather motivates people to get outside, but it can also make people less productive because they’re more inclined to have fun,” said Espinal.

Espinal believes colder weather can sometimes increase focus.

“Colder weather encourages people to stay indoors, that can help you be more productive,” Espinal  she said.

Fabiola Rodriguez, 18, a Political Science major, agreed weather impacts her mood, but she offered another perspective.

“When the weather is rainy, it makes me want to stay home and sleep, but when it’s sunny, my energy goes up,” she said. “I feel happy and more productive.” 

Weather can be both a motivator to some, and an inhibitor to others. 

Matthew Weisner, 22, a Forensic Psychology major, emphasized the importance of balanced weather.

“It has to be a certain temperature for me to feel motivated to go out, anything extreme, too hot, too cold, or rainy, makes me lose motivation,” Weisner said.

For Weisner, discomfort affects how he approaches school.

“I wouldn’t want to be outside sweating because it is too hot or getting wet because it is pouring,” he said. “When the weather isn’t just right, it makes me want to stay inside and do my assignments.”

While the weather is out of our control, how we respond to it is not. There are ways to fight seasonal depression, like finding one thing each day to look forward to, whether that’s reading a book, watching your favorite show, or playing a game.

For now, students can continue to enjoy the brighter days at John Jay and finish the semester in a more positive light. It got very dreary for a while, and the weather is still unpredictable, but as sunny days continue, that energy will hopefully carry over to students across campus.