Despite the stress, keep moving forward as semester ends

The final stretch of the semester means that students are tired of school, homework, quizzes, tests and the overload of homework that arrives once spring break is over.

While students don’t have control of how instructors manage the workload that’s doled out to them, they do have control over one thing: themselves.

Students need to keep in mind that during crunch time, when school gets right down to the wire and the thought of finals becomes more haunting, this is the time when they need to work their hardest.

Oftentimes due to the weight of assignments and projects students receive, or from feelings of exhaustion or an opportunity to squeeze in extra study time, students will skip class.

Not going to class will hurt students in the long run. Now is the time, more than before, for students to budget their time and keep a strict schedule.

Students forget, amidst the turmoil of the end of the semester, why they’re in college in the first place. This is the time for students to remember their long-term goals.

The whole point of college isn’t to just get an education, but to do something with that education so that students can achieve their dreams and have a bright future.

Students, it’s time to remember the initial motivation for even wanting to go to college, to obtain a gateway for that dream job which is only attainable with a college degree. Now is not the time to give up just because classes are hard. Life is hard, and that’s going to increase with time, not the other way around.

Going to class, doing the assignments and not giving up is what’s going to carry students to that next step in their lives. In order to achieve their dreams, students need to be willing to work hard for what they want, not just scrape by and hope for the best.

All of the students near the end of the semester are tired. No one is alone in this, so it’s important that students help one another out if they can.

Study groups are a solution to both the need for social interaction while stressed, and a productive way to get work done and learn from your peers. Saying no when a friend brings up the idea of going out for some alcohol and ignoring Netflix will also help increase productivity at this point in the semester.

Doing what’s right for one’s education is hard for students and will only benefit them in the long run. However, doing what’s easy and taking what appears to be short cuts, such as skipping class, will damage students’ futures in the long run.

Moving forward, students need to remember to pace themselves and view the rest of the semester and their future as a marathon, not a sprint.