I suppose anyone who suffered bulling can relate to that. You may be harrased or insulted or whatever, but if you fight back you're technically the one who turned it into a fight.
And if you happen to hit the hardest, even in self defense, you're double-screwed. I could see the MC realistically being blamed for that despite what really happened.
I mean, the word literally means six months. There's no such thing as "no 6 months semesters". It's either that or you're using the word wrong, but the etymology is clear.