Originally published in the April 6, 2023 edition of The Montage as “Top Ten Tips To Survive The Rest Of The Semester”
BY: ELIZABETH NAGUDI
Staff Writer
Spring break is always a way to refresh and take a break from school. Balancing school, life, and work can be a bit challenging for any college student as there is so much confined in each category. You have to maintain excellent grades while at the same time keeping the family relationships strong as you also pursue personal interests. In the same manner, given that most college students are working, they are also tasked with balancing this aspect of life. Regardless, great appreciation for scholars that thought it wise to have the spring break. Five days of no school work. It sounds like just a few days, but students immerse in many non-academic refreshing activities in these few days. Some students get to travel to other states to visit family and friends, while others go on tours, adventures, or any other social life catching up that they missed while at school. Some students also opt to have more work hours at their places of work and earn that extra dime! Regardless of how you spent the spring break, soon Monday comes crawling at your door, and school went on like before. Here are the top ten ways to regain momentum post-spring break.
- First-day rules remain. It can be boring to stick by the rules, but it is what it is. You could have set the rules yourself, your professor, or the academic tutor at the beginning of the semester in January. These could be guidelines on how you want your semester to run. It’s like having a new semester resolution that you keep at the back of your mind. Follow the rules.
- Remember why you joined college. Why did you select that particular class? While jogging the treadmill is considered one of the most boring exercises by many, you are always encouraged to visualize the goal you are chasing. Maybe you want to reduce your body weight by 15 lbs at the end of two weeks. Think of how much joy it will bring to you. Similarly, think of the future ahead of these classes and endless tests.
- Let the mid-term results you receive motivate you. Look at you making your grades look better. Even if you didn’t perform as expected, it’s this time to awaken you and make a complete shift in the semester post-spring break.
- Catch up with your friends. Share your experiences with your friends and listen to them share theirs.
- Revisit topics. The break looks and may even feel short, but the human brain tends to forget what has been taught and has been studied. Use this return to class to revisit the old topics to prepare you for the final tests better.
- Spend more time on campus. It is estimated that the average time spent on campus out of class by over 90% of students at STLCC is 5 minutes; essentially this is just the time one moves from their car to the lecture room and vice versa. It’s time to explore the campus and learn about fun activities to engage in. In addition, with the ongoing revamping of campus buildings, you could learn about the new organization of facilities and where to find services.
- It’s never that serious. It sounds like a lazy person’s slogan but within lies great wisdom. Spring break has just ended, but when looking ahead, summer break is not that far away. Unless you intend to take summer classes, the upcoming season provides ample time to engage more in your desired fun activities away from class. Focus for now, you’re almost done for the school year.
- Talk to your professors. You are probably not the type to engage with your professors, but another perspective could help you engage greater with the class. Even if you are to give a one-word response, go ahead and give that response. It will soon develop in your character to engage in class and get drawn to engaging more with your class work.
- Evaluate the last half of the semester. What did you do great at? Was it waking up at the sound of the alarm clock and getting to class on time? What didn’t you do great? Was it the math tests? You have this next half of the semester to redeem all those areas you feel you need to.
- Finally but not least, engage in school-based activities. These could be career-related or fun-filled activities. The schedule can be pretty tight as we balance school, work, and life, but work without play isn’t healthy either. Several activities take place on campus, and you could at least attend one once in a while.
