As the year draws to a close it can be extremely difficult to focus on the last assignments even though they carry a significant portion of your grade. This unfortunate fact is just another way Universities can unnecessarily up your stress—but until that changes, here’s how to deal with it.
The single thing that has helped me the most is getting a semester-long calendar with all my big due dates on it. It can be hard to stay motivated when the deadlines are two weeks away, but when it’s on paper those deadlines become very real. Start planning backwards from the date of the last final and watch how the hours fill up magically. Before you know it, you have all the motivation you need.
Keep your calendar fluid. Build in a little extra time (not too much, or that elusive motivation goes out the window!) so that when unexpected social events or setbacks occur it doesn’t wreck your entire plan. You’ll know by planning backwards how many of those unexpected events your schedule can manage.
Write next to the assignment deadline bolded and italicized the percentage of the grade the assignment is worth. There is something about seeing 35% next to an essay that gives me the motivation to proof read it one more time or begin the assignment one day sooner. As we all know, it’s those small things that can make the difference between a B and an A.
Schedule in time for yourself. You will burn out very quickly if you only work, work, work. Whether that means going to the gym or taking a long bath, or even taking the time to clean up your dorm. Whatever gives you peace of mind, do it, even if it counter intuitively takes time away from what you feel you should be doing most!
Keep your friends in the loop. The only thing more rewarding than a job well done at the end of a semester is celebrating with friends who have seen you through the stress and hardships along the way. When you’re feeling depressed about how many assignments you have due and how stressed out you are, call up a friend to vent (just make sure to do the same for him/her!).
Good luck getting through Finals!
-WonderBread
I’m reading Statistics: Informed Decisions Using Data
Have a backpack full of used textbooks you don’t need anymore? Sell your used college textbooks to eCampus.com! It is much easier than selling your textbook at the campus bookstore, selling them to a friend, selling them on Craigslist, or selling them to that weird kid down the hall.
Just visit eCampus.com, enter the ISBNs of the books you want to sell, print your FREE shipping label, and send them to us! We offer checks, direct deposit, or get 20% more for your books if you choose in-store credit.
Have a great summer everyone and remember that you can make some easy money selling your college textbooks to eCampus.com!
-Lovejoy
Crap that paper is due when? Okay, let me add it to the list. So I’ve got class these days, a presentation here, a term paper due then, my friend’s graduation party that weekend. Alright, my calendar is complete. Unfortunately, I’ve got one more thing to add to your list.
In all the craziness, please do not let your poor mother go unappreciated on SUNDAY, MAY 13, this year’s Mother’s Day. While you think to yourself you don’t have the time to do anything, remind yourself that she experienced nine months of pregnancy than hours of labour for you. No matter if you have an hour, five minutes, or thirty seconds to spare, use that time to send some love to Mama. Even if your relationship with your mom or grandmother is not the best, this could be an opportunity to taking a step toward clearing the air.
No idea what to do? Well, if you are already at the library working on papers, it doesn’t take much to print out a card to mail or hand deliver. If trying to be environmentally friendly, there are always e-Cards although they have their lameness factor. A handwritten card would be best. If unsure what to write, look up what those print out cards or eCards say (this is the one time plagiarism might go unnoticed).
While procrastinating on your paper or final, check out 1800Flowers.com to order a bouquet (ranging from $25 to $200).
EdibleArrangements.com is another way to go for Mother’s Day with chocolate covered fruit boxes, fruit bouquets with and without stuffed animals and balloons are available (also ranging in price from $25 to $100).
If you’re looking for something a little different for Mom, consider ordering her some gourmet cupcakes or cake pops from a local bakery.
Day’s at the spa never go unnoticed either! Although massages can get pricy, a gift card or treating your mom in person to a manicure or pedicure, especially if she does not get them regularly, can help her relax (which can lead to less nagging).
Simply spending some time with Mom on mother’s day is the cheapest, most heartfelt which seems to be most appreciated by moms everywhere. If you’ve got a final, making a point to talking with her and making a plan for after you are out of school for the semester is sure to bring a smile to her face.
-TravelBug
I’m reading Biology: Science for Life
The school year is coming to a close and for most of us that means returning home to our families. How do you live with your family again after a year on your own? Although excited to see them, who wants to go back to rules or maybe even curfews? Living well over the summer with your family is very important because its only 3 months out of the year. Here’s the how to.
When returning to your family, go with a clear mind. Don’t spend your time thinking about all the things you will be missing out on in your college town. Don’t think about all the old rules and chores you may be returning to. Instead, think about the positives. Odds are, your family misses you very much and can’t wait to see you. Think about home cooked meals, good times with the family, and reuniting with high school friends.
One of the hard parts about going home is dividing your time evenly between loved ones. Obviously your family misses you very much and wants to consume large amounts of your free time. High school friends will be calling and excited to hang out. A lot of times, it’s hard to not blow off the family when you’re excited about seeing your friends again. Be careful about equalizing your time as much as possible because you don’t want anyone that you rarely see to feel left out. Maybe try grilling out with the family then meeting up with some friends later. Compromise is the key.
In college we get used to doing what we want when we want. We are adults for that matter. We go out when we want, come home when we want, eat what we want, say what we want, and spend money when we want. If we want to, we can let dishes sit in the sink for a week, not vacuum our room and we can blast our stereos at their maximum capacity. It’s hard to get used to the old when we’ve finally broken out on our own. Parents often expect to know where you’re going, who you’re with, and what you’re doing at all times. A lot of parents don’t see the fact that you’ve gone to college as a free pass to let you do whatever you want. How do we get used to old rules?
My advice would be to talk to your parents and attempt some sort of happy medium which can make you both happy. Maybe suggest having no curfew if you stay in communication and let them know where you are. All it takes is two seconds to send a text message and inform your parents now a day. Obviously, sloppiness has to go. You’re most likely going to be expected to do some of your old odd jobs around the house and to be somewhat tidy. Keep clean without the complaints, I mean, you have 3 months of free room and board, it’s the least you can do. Common curtsies will be of most importance. For 3 months, be kind and pay attention to the little things that might bother your family.
You’ve gone the entire school year without your younger sibling’s annoying ways. Although we love them, we all know how little brothers/sisters can be. It’s hard to go back home and live with a little sibling again. Just remember you are more mature now and under control. If they start their antagonizing ways, just ignore them. Odds are, they’ve missed you a lot and your relationship will be different when you return home. As you’ve aged and grown, so have they. Just try and be patient and most importantly, a good role model.
Put these tips to use and live well this summer with your loved ones. Families are irreplaceable, and attitudes are spoilers. Go with a warm smile and a kind heart, and really soak in those 3 months at home.
-Speedy G.
I’m reading America’s History
Graduation is a bittersweet time of year. We know it’s coming all year long. In fact, if you think about it, we know it’s coming for at least 4 years leading up to it. Regardless, it’s still a shock when May rolls around and we have to say goodbye to the seniors—the ones we have looked up to and watched rule the school. Some students are sad—they already miss their friends and they haven’t even walked across the stage yet! Some students aren’t sad, but nervous. If seniors are graduating, that means they’re next; can they really be growing up that fast?
Whether or not the ceremony is filled with joy, or sadness, or just pure anxiety, graduation means different things to different students. It can affect us all- regardless of our year.
Graduation for seniors is about the next step. They are moving on and saying goodbye to their classes, their dorm rooms or school-houses, and hello to a job (hopefully), bills and real life. They are leaving their friends and meal plans and going into the real world to fend for themselves. Will they make it? Are they happy or scared? Are they wondering if they should have invested in the 5-7 year college plan instead of 4? It’s scary and different but can also be a breath of fresh air. Your senior friends can pat themselves on the back. They are walking away with an arsenal of knowledge, a college degree, and hopefully not too many student loans. Either way, they made it and should be incredibly proud. They can throw their cap up high!
For juniors, graduation is odd. It means your friends are leaving, you’re getting older, and somehow, someway, you’re next. In the blink of an eye you went from being a new kid on campus and barely making your way from class to class and now you’re just two short semesters away from the stage walk your friends are facing. There has to be a mistake? How would you have missed something as huge as three years of college? Could the old saying be true, and time really does fly when you’re having fun? Or, have you just been so busy working and studying that the last 6 semesters have slipped you by? Breathe. You will make it just fine. This is the last summer before your big year. Enjoy it, relax. When you return in the fall, it’s your time to shine and prepare to ride the rollercoaster of your senior year! It’s filled with emotions, ups and downs, and plenty of “real world” anxiety.
Sophomores are excited by graduation. They think to themselves, and announce of their facebook pages, “Whoo, I’m half way done with my college career”. Little do they know the next two years of their lives are about to pass by even faster than the previous two. Sophomore year was exciting. You finish the year, go home for summer and come back an upperclassman. It’s a strange but exciting feeling.
Freshmen might feel just about as weird as the seniors do when graduation rolls around. Didn’t they just graduate? How can it be May already, there is absolutely no way a whole year has past? Freshmen spend the year soaking up all that college has to offer. They study hard, meet new friends, and experience a whole new chapter of life. When May hits after their first year there really is no other option other than to just reflect and think back on everything you just spent the last 8 months doing. How did you do? Did you like it? Did you make it? How were your grades? Will you ever make it to where those old kids are in their college robes?
No matter what year you’re in, or how far you’ve made it in your college career, there is no denying how fast time flies. You made it through another year and summer is here once again. It’s quite an accomplishment and shouldn’t be taken lightly—even if you aren’t the one in the robes (yet—you’ll get there!).
Now is the time to breathe. Relax. Enjoy your summer, keep working hard—no matter what year you’re in, and stay positive. The 4 years of college are supposed to be fun, challenging, rewarding and exhausting all at the same time. It will fly, so you may not be the one the stage this year, but your time will come. Be prepared!
-Ring Queen
I’m reading Beginning and Intermediate Algebra
