The End of the Term

In the next few days you’ll notice it. People will be scurrying across the Diag, looking preoccupied. There’ll still be chatter and laughter, but the timbre will be more nervous, more subdued than it was just last week. People whom you haven’t seen in class for weeks will start showing up for lectures and discussions, and the computer labs will be jammed. Perhaps for the first time, there’ll be lines for your profs’ office hours. The end of the term is almost here, and it’s getting serious as the due dates for term papers approach and as final exams near.

If you’ve been working hard all semester, you’ll be fine. Just take some time to survey your courses, checking what you have left to do and when you need to have it done. Go through your notes, previous exams, past homework, etc., and if there are any concepts you don’t quite understand, see your instructors or GSIs during their remaining office hours. Or make an appointment.

If you haven’t worked quite hard enough or have fallen behind in one-or-more courses, be realistic about how much of a salvage operation you can mount at this point. Try to take an objective look at what you have accomplished and what you have left to do in all your courses. If you’re not exactly sure about what you have left to do in a course or whether you can pass, contact the instructor or GSI, now! Depending on what you find out, you might need to focus on a couple of the salvageable courses and let one-or-two courses go. If this is the case, you should make an appointment to see your advisor.

As deadlines and exams near, cramming and all nighters might seem unavoidable, but be realistic about how much you can truly learn in the last few hours before an exam. How long can you be truly productive without getting some sleep? Again, getting organized now, before final crunch comes, could help you from having to spend the night before a paper is due snoozing on your keyboard. Put some opportunities in your schedule to go through your notes several times over the next few days rather than waiting just till the night before an exam.

Don’t give into the temptation to try to re-read everything that was assigned during the term before the exam. It’s probably not possible to do this, and it would probably be ineffective. Instead, ask or email the instructor about what she/he thinks are the critical points to review before the exam. If the instructor doesn’t offer much help in focusing your review, go back to your notes to see what he/she emphasized during lectures and discussions. That should help you figure out which sections of texts you should review.

No matter how much work you have, remember you need sleep, nutrition, and exercise to be at your best. Carve room out of your schedule for all of these. In particular, get enough sleep the night before a final. Also allow yourself some breaks where you can socialize with friends, roommates, etc. You’re not the only one feeling pressure these days, and it’s healthy to talk about it. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, consider a visit to Counseling and Psychological Services: 3100 Michigan Union, http://www.umich.edu/%7Ecaps/index.html.

Above all else, keep it all in perspective. Sure grades are important, but they aren’t life. The grades you get this term may have an impact on your future, but they won’t determine it.

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