Whether the last few months have flown by or whether they have gone at a snail’s pace, wrapping up the calendar year usually also means wrapping up your first term. Here are three areas to check-in on to make sure you end it on a high note!Finals…This is the most obvious thing people think of when the end of the term approaches. Finals do not have to be dreaded or feared -- you just need a good plan! So, what do you need to do to be as prepared as possible? Here are a few ideas:
- Make a list of everything that you have due, plus all of your upcoming exams. Be sure to consider final projects or extra-credit opportunities!
- Double check final exam schedules - the schedule may have changed since you got your syllabus at the beginning of the term.
- Mark due dates and exams on your calendar so you can visualize exactly how soon they are coming up.
- Map out blocks of study time to prepare…and maybe map out blocks of time to sleep and eat too! You have to keep energized!
Bottom line is that when finals are done, you want to be able to tell yourself, “I did absolutely everything I could to get the grade I wanted!”
Grades…Double check where you are at with your class grades going into finals so that you can plan accordingly and feel prepared. When you’re juggling lots of finals and final projects, be strategic about where to spend your time based on where you need it most, and where you can most impact the final results. If your grade is right on the border in one class, and the final is a big percent of the grade, then maybe preparing for that exam needs more of your time than for that class that you’ll get an “A” in unless you completely blow the final.
A lot of students tell me, “But my professors haven’t given us any grades.” Well, that just means you have to get a little creative. Asking your professor during office hours shows that you care, and that is never a bad thing to get across to professors right before finals and grades come out. Or you could work backwards from your syllabus – check out the percentages for things you have gotten back and how they relate to the total class breakdown, then do the math to see what you need to do in order to keep/get a certain grade in the class.
Spring…With the end of fall comes the promise of spring! Cheesy I know, but seriously, thinking about spring now is a great way to really enjoy your winter break because you are prepared for what is on the other side of that break. The obvious is your class schedule: Are your classes set? Are you on any wait lists? Have you talked to the right people about the classes you are planning on taking? Do you have any questions that need to get cleared up with your Academic Advisor or the Registrar?
Besides your class schedule, what are some other things that need sorting out between now and the start of spring? Maybe a job or internship search? Maybe looking for some new / different campus activities to check out? How about getting ready for study abroad? Spend some time now thinking about what’s going to be important to you so that you and your Coach can just dive in when the new semester starts.
Congratulations!!! You have done an AWESOME job this semester! For those of you who maybe don’t believe me, give yourself a break, and make the commitment here and now that next semester will be as awesome as you’d like it to be!
