Ways to Make the Most Out of the End of the Semester
In three weeks from today, final exams start. Sometimes this quick arrival of the end of the semester and the spring sunshine can cause students to want to slack off. Skipping class for the mile-away beach, senioritis, or just not caring about the final days of class are common temptations to us.
Just because there is only about a month left of this year remaining does not mean you have to fit in every possible social outing you can and forget about school work. However, this does not mean you cannot go out because you have to slave away to school work in your room all day either.
The best way to make the most of the final days of the school year is to excel both academically and socially. There is a balance to achieving success in school while remaining a social butterfly in these last weeks.
Instead of procrastinating homework until Sunday as many students do, promise yourself to do at least one piece of it on a Friday before you go out, and some on Saturday morning. This way, you will have a lighter load come the end of the weekend and you can use the day time to relax before the busy week.
If you complete your assignments on the weekend evenings, you can spend the next couple weekend days outside enjoying the weather rather than inside cramming a paper.
One of the beneficial ways to get your grade up as a last minute option is to take advantage of extra credit. Often, professors offer this in the beginning of the semester and accept the extra credit any time during the semester. Even if you do not think you need the extra points do it anyway, you cannot predict whether you will get a disappointing grade in the upcoming weeks.
Associate professor of communication, Dr. Eleanor Novek, warned that relying on extra credit only as a last-minute attempts to boost grades can be weak.
“The best way to make the most of the rest of the semester is to try really hard. There are still regularly assigned papers to write, exams to take, and presentations to make. I think professors find it persuasive at any point in the semester when they see a student making a sincere effort to improve,” Novek said.
Though it might seem last minute, there is still time to try your hardest to prove that you deserve a good grade to your professor.
Also, making set plans in your social life can help you with your student life. Hearing plans last minute can often cause students to blow off work with a due date. The desire to not miss out on the fun can overshadow the importance of finishing your work on time.
If you schedule plans for the end of the week in the beginning of it, you might be more motivated to finish the work beforehand. This way, you can have a few days to work on it throughout the week, knowing you are being counted on to go out with your friends on the weekend. Instead of rushing to make an e-Campus dropbox deadline because you wanted to go out spur of the moment, schedule your plans ahead of time.
A senior communication major Sarah Yung has a schedule of events coming up as a part of senior week. After her dedication to her school work during her time here, she is ready to make the most of her final Monmouth days.
“Even though my time at Monmouth is quickly coming to an end, I am so excited for all of the senior week activities coming up, and ending my college career the best possible way. I cannot wait to celebrate the success of graduation with all of the amazing people I met during my four years here,” Yung said.
Whether you are graduating or just moving up a grade, it is still important to focus all of your positive energy on doing the best you can in college. With a little time management and a lot of dedication, you can ensure to remain both a socialite and a hard-worker as the semester comes to a close.
