Rain, rain, go away. Come again another day.

If only Mother Nature would listen to this silly nursery song when winter rolls into Seattle. A lethal combination of weather characteristics makes its inhabitants want to do nothing but sit inside and watch movies, rather than do the work they are supposed to do.

School is no exception. With fall quarter over, the nasty weather and break fresh on the brain, coming back for winter quarter is not pleasant. Junior Chris Maynard puts it perfectly:

"During fall quarter, you get to meet people and more people want to hang out because it's still nice weather," he said. "But winter quarter, everyone comes back from break and doesn't want to come out, because the weather's nasty and they're catching up for school. It's the dip between two highs."

Whatever the reason, one thing is clear: It is easy to catch the winter quarter blahs. Megan Hoane, a graduate student studying medicine, remembers her freshman case of the winter quarter blahs.

"I remember getting a little depressed during winter quarter my freshman year, because the excitement from my first quarter of college was beginning to wear off, and school was becoming routine again," she said.

But to help combat the dullness of winter, Hoane took up her favorite activity: skiing.

"Skiing really helped me to enjoy winter quarter, because every weekend I would go up, and it was something to look forward to all week," she said.

Although the cold, dreary days can get one down, having something to look forward to can help anyone survive a tough week. Sophomore Andrew Harman did this his freshman year.

"Always have one major event planned on the weekend with some friends to help you get away from the rain, cold and the studying. This will give you something to look forward to and will thus motivate you through the week," he said.

Perhaps the biggest complaint about winter quarter, though, is the lack of sunlight. With the shorter days and longer nights, most come to school when it's dark and sometimes go home in the dark as well.

The shortness of the days makes it feel as though the night goes on forever, which could be good or bad, depending on the outcome.

"The shorter days make people think it's later than it really is, so they are more reluctant to go out and have fun," Maynard said.

On the other hand, the lack of outdoor distraction can make studying a top priority.

"I usually take my hardest classes during winter quarter, because there's less to distract me," Harman said. "The rain and short days force me to be inside more and to study more, since there is nothing to miss outside."

One thing people must remember though: The key to happiness is variety. Although studying may seem like the only activity available, there's always something fun to discover.

"I think people should just suck it up and have fun no matter what," Maynard said. "You're only in college for four years, and besides, having fun makes everything easier, especially winter quarter."

Taking classes you enjoy is another way to make winter fly by. Friends are also very helpful, Hoane said.

"During my sophomore year, I took a class winter quarter that started at 7:30 a.m. It was brutal, but I had a friend in the class, and we would motivate each other to get up and go. It worked wonders," she said.

Activities outside of school are also very important. Use this time to start a fitness program, or join a club or sport that sounds interesting. Whatever it is, things outside of academia are central for spicing up life and making one's studies seem more interesting than mundane.

But most importantly, remember this: Winter quarter is only 10 weeks long. That means the warm, sunny spring is that much closer. Harman gives his advice:

"Stay strong, drink lots of coffee, get an umbrella and study hard!"

Before you know it, the rain will have gone away to come again some other winter day.

Reach reporter Stephanie Small at stephaniesmall@thedaily.washington.edu.