It’s that time of the year again. Thanksgiving break is right around the corner, and winter break is a little more than a month away. This is the time of the year when students need to buckle down. The slacking period is coming to an end. The honeymoon is over. It’s time to catch up on work that probably could have been done a month ago. Get started on those long term papers due at the end of the semester. Yes, midterms are over, but that means the race to final exams is only beginning.
Rather than take the easy way out and continue to procrastinate toward the end of the semester, find the energy and willpower to stay on top of your work now. If you continue to fall behind, finals week and the weeks preceding it will be that much more stressful.
Go to the library. See if you can get one of the ever-so-valuable third-floor rooms or just head down to the 24-hour room. If you’re worried about not concentrating in the library, don’t. Everybody else is there for the same reason you are. You should have no problem getting some work done.
If you’re not a library person, do some work in your dorm room. Put on some headphones, listen to some music and get to work. If you’re not a music person, wear some headphones anyway – it may help drain out your roommate’s noise. If the noise still bothers you, just ask them to quiet down, it’s no big deal.
For those who live off-campus, things may be a bit more difficult. It can be hard to study in your room at home, especially if you have a television or an Xbox 360 calling your name. Try and resist the temptation to play Madden or FIFA – there will time to play after you get your work done. Just make sure you leave yourself enough time to study and prepare for the grind that is the end of the semester.
When it comes to social media, try to use it in moderation. There’s no problem with using Facebook or Twitter, just make sure you don’t use it during class. What good is studying if you’re not listening to the information that you will come to dread as finals approach? Pay attention in class, no matter how hard it might be. Put down your phone. Turn off the wi-fi on your computer and stay away from Facebook and Twitter during class.
It won’t be fun, but it will definitely be worth it when you can bring home some good grades. Not only will it help your GPA this semester, but for the spring semester as well. If you can buckle down and study hard, the good grades you receive will give you the confidence you need moving forward. A little extra work put in now means less work in the weeks leading up to finals. Make your life easier. Buckle down and study. You won’t regret it.
