Skripsi, Cuti, dan Hati Yang Ketinggalan Semester (Thesis, Time Off, and a Heart Behind Schedule)

Di sebuah universitas yang sedang ramai dengan mahasiswa tingkat akhir yang sibuk sidang dan berburu tanda tangan dosen, Elisabeth Laurencia Adinata (Elisa, 21) berada di garis akhir perjuangannya. Mahasiswa manajemen yang dikenal ceria, pintar, ramah, dan selalu siap membantu siapa pun itu baru saja menyelesaikan skripsinya. Dengan latar keluarga yang hangat—ayah seorang dokter dan ibu seorang perawat—Elisa tumbuh menjadi sosok yang disiplin sekaligus perhatian.

Sementara itu, ada Pablo William Santoso (22), mahasiswa akuntansi yang namanya lebih sering terdengar di lapangan sepak bola dan ruang kemahasiswaan daripada di kelas. Berasal dari keluarga konglomerat, Pablo berkali-kali membuat orang tuanya pusing karena kebiasaannya mengambil keputusan aneh, sering dipanggil ke kampus, dan sempat cuti terlalu lama. Saat akhirnya kembali kuliah, kenyataan menghantam: teman-temannya hampir lulus, sementara dia bahkan lupa materi dasar perkuliahan dan terancam drop out jika gagal menyelesaikan semester berikutnya.

Karena dosen melihat kondisi Pablo sudah cukup mengkhawatirkan, muncullah keputusan yang membuat banyak orang heran: Elisa diminta menjadi asisten dosen sekaligus pendamping belajar untuk Pablo meskipun mereka berbeda jurusan.

Bagi Elisa, itu tugas biasa. Bagi Pablo? Itu seperti hukuman tambahan.

Pertemuan pertama mereka penuh kekacauan. Elisa datang membawa catatan rapi dan semangat mengajar, sementara Pablo datang terlambat, lupa membawa buku, lalu bertanya dengan santai,

“Ini mata kuliah apa ya?”

Sejak hari itu, dimulailah rutinitas yang absurd: Elisa menjelaskan materi dengan sabar, Pablo malah sibuk membandingkan akuntansi dengan strategi sepak bola. Elisa membuat rangkuman warna-warni, Pablo kehilangan kertasnya lima menit kemudian. Elisa mencoba memotivasi, Pablo menjawab dingin dan cuek seolah tidak peduli.

Namun di balik sikap emosian dan acuhnya, Pablo diam-diam mulai memperhatikan hal-hal kecil tentang Elisa—cara dia tetap tersenyum saat lelah, cara dia tidak pernah mengejek meski Pablo sering membuat kesalahan konyol, dan bagaimana Elisa tetap percaya bahwa dia bisa lulus.

Kelucuannya muncul saat Pablo mulai mencari alasan belajar lebih lama, pura-pura tidak paham materi supaya Elisa tetap menemani, atau diam-diam datang ke perpustakaan padahal biasanya menghilang ke lapangan bola. Teman-teman Pablo yang sudah hampir wisuda bahkan mulai curiga: apakah Pablo akhirnya serius kuliah atau serius ke seseorang?

Sementara Elisa yang terlalu fokus membantu orang lain tidak sadar kalau perhatian kecil Pablo mulai berubah menjadi rasa yang lebih besar.

Di tengah tekanan semester terakhir, ancaman DO, perbedaan karakter yang sering bentrok, dan banyak momen lucu yang tidak terduga—keduanya mulai belajar bahwa kadang yang paling sulit bukan menyelesaikan skripsi atau mengejar SKS yang tertinggal tetapi memahami seseorang yang datang di waktu yang sama sekali tidak direncanakan.

Pertanyaannya: apakah Pablo bisa mengejar kelulusannya sebelum kehilangan kesempatan menyatakan perasaannya? Dan apakah Elisa akan tetap menjadi “guru sementara” atau berubah menjadi orang yang tinggal lebih lama di hidup Pablo?

[Bahasa Inggris]

At a university bustling with final-year students busy defending their theses and chasing professors for signatures, Elisabeth Laurencia Adinata (Elisa), 21, is approaching the finish line of her academic journey. A management student known for being cheerful, intelligent, friendly, and always willing to help others, Elisa has just completed her thesis. Raised in a warm and supportive family—with a father who is a doctor and a mother who is a nurse—she has grown into someone both disciplined and caring.

Meanwhile, there is Pablo William Santoso, 22, an accounting student whose name is heard more often on the football field and in student organizations than in the classroom. Coming from a wealthy conglomerate family, Pablo has repeatedly given his parents headaches with his questionable decisions, frequent visits to the university administration office, and an extended academic leave. When he finally returns to campus, reality hits hard: most of his friends are about to graduate, while he can barely remember the basics of his courses and faces the possibility of being expelled if he fails to complete the following semester successfully.

Concerned about Pablo’s situation, the lecturers make a decision that surprises many people: Elisa is asked to become a teaching assistant and study mentor for Pablo—even though they come from different majors.

For Elisa, it is simply another responsibility.

For Pablo, it feels like an additional punishment.

Their first meeting is a complete disaster. Elisa arrives with neatly organized notes and an enthusiastic attitude, while Pablo shows up late, forgets to bring his textbook, and casually asks,

"Wait... what course is this again?"

From that day on, an absurd routine begins.

Elisa patiently explains lessons, while Pablo compares accounting concepts to football strategies. Elisa creates colorful study summaries, and Pablo manages to lose them within five minutes. Elisa tries to motivate him, while Pablo responds with indifference, acting as though he could not care less.

Yet beneath his temperamental and careless attitude, Pablo slowly begins noticing the little things about Elisa—the way she keeps smiling even when she is exhausted, the way she never mocks him despite his countless mistakes, and how she continues believing that he can graduate when no one else seems to.

The comedy only grows when Pablo starts finding excuses to study longer, pretends not to understand simple concepts just to keep Elisa around, and secretly begins spending time in the library despite usually disappearing to the football field. His friends, who are already preparing for graduation, begin to wonder:

Has Pablo finally become serious about his studies or serious about someone?

Meanwhile, Elisa is so focused on helping others that she fails to notice how Pablo’s small acts of appreciation are slowly turning into something much deeper.

Amid the pressure of the final semester, the threat of academic dismissal, clashing personalities, and countless unexpected and hilarious moments, both of them begin to realize that sometimes the hardest challenge is not finishing a thesis or catching up on missed credits—it is understanding someone who enters your life at a time you never planned for.

The question is:

Will Pablo manage to earn his degree before losing the chance to confess his feelings?

And will Elisa remain nothing more than a temporary tutor or become someone who stays in Pablo’s life for much longer?