How to Ace the Last Month of the Semester

The semester's winding down—just as you're winding up. Four weeks left and you've still got two papers, five finals, and a classroom presentation to boot. How to manage? Here are 20 tips for taking control of your courses—and your life—during the crucial last month of the semester:

1. Plan to work harder. You might be used to thinking of college as a two- or three-day-a-week job. No more. Come the last month, you'll need to turn it up a notch—or for some, a number of notches—to get done what you need to get done.

2. Triage your preparation. Now that time is at a premium, devote most of your time to the reading that really counts. And ditch the reading that's just for general background, additional detail, or mere enjoyment (don't even think about recommended reading). By now, you should know whether the reading is really doing any work or is merely filling (or wasting) time.

3 . Don't blow off the classes. Because you'll get more out of the professor's one-hour lecture than out of three hours of studying on your own, you'd have to be a bonehead to cut any of the last month's worth of classes. Besides, the closer you get to the final, the more likely the prof's going to drop hints in lecture about what's going to be on the final and how best to study for the final.

4. Try the homework. Professors are prone to putting homework questions, or variants of homework problems, on the tests. Don't trade short-term time saving for long-term point loss. And don't skip out on any quizzes, either. These, too, furnish fodder for exams.

5 . Look for the structure . Every course has a "plot" or direction of argument—both from lecture to lecture and within individual lectures. Search for it. The better you are at figuring out the plot, the more efficiently you'll be able to study, because you'll focus on all, and only all, the central points. Look to the syllabus, the sequence of your notes, and any verbal clues the professor gives for the key points.

6. Do n't do "make work" activities. Some students are tempted to copy over their notes, go over the readings, visit other sections, and listen to the lectures again on their iPod. That's a regular three-ring circus. Resist these temptations. Such extraneous activities make you think you're doing something when what you're really doing is putting off something else: your papers and tests.

7. Take advantage of "high value" extras. Review sessions, study guides, sample tests, and extra office hours are all designed to help you increase your chances of doing well. Relatively small time investments, big payoffs. A no-brainer.

8. Cuddle up to the TA . Teaching assistants are especially willing to help in the last few weeks of the semester. They feel sorry for you and are probably having to take finals and prepare for exams themselves (so they understand what you're going through). What's more, they haven't yet built up the defenses of a broken-in (or broken-down) professor, so they're more likely to tell you what's really going to be on the exam. An incredible time-saver.

9. Phone a friend. Hopefully one smarter than you who is willing to form a "study group" with you. Talking through the material will not only help you internalize it better, you might even get new insights, which will help you with your test or paper.

10. Consider campus resources. The writing center, tutoring program, or academic advancement center might be exactly what you need to light a fire under your ass, now that your ass is on the line.

11. Seek forgiveness. If there's an assignment you haven't handed in (and taken a zero), now would be a good time to ask the professor (or TA) if there's any way you can hand in the paper late for at least some partial credit. If you're apologetic enough, you might be able to rescue some of your grade—and even if not, you might be lucky enough to pry some hints about what's going to be on the test from the not-so-forgiving prof.

12. Manage the stress. The last month of the semester is wicked. So, no matter how pressed you are for time, make time for meditation, yoga, exercise, or whatever is you do to minimize stress. If you're feeling really bent out of shape, check out the college counseling service, which usually runs stress management classes just about now.

13. Postpone the drinking . You'll have plenty of time to worship at the porcelain altar come the Christmas holidays.

14. Think twice about stimulants. What might seem like a good idea before the last calculus hourly might seem less good when you're still Red Bull-ed or Vivarin-ed up (or worse) three days later.

15 . Postpone the next semester. Next semester's courses, your choice of major, your internship, and/or summer abroad plans should not become the primary focus of your attention and worry during this already tense period. Don't be fooled into thinking you're helping your situation now when you're only scheming for future semesters.

16. Put off the family. They can wait until the Christmas holidays, at which time you'll be sufficiently lubricated to handle them.

17. Don't run yourself ragged. Yes, you still need your zzz's. And you need to stay healthy. So, hop into bed and tell all your germy friends to keep their distance.

18 . Don't obsess over any single defeat. You're taking four or five classes, so don't let one screw-up lead to three or four other screw-ups. Try to compartmentalize your feelings so that you're upset about one bad course (which might not even be your fault) doesn't spill over into all your (quite good, now that you think of it) courses.

19. Remain positive. In many courses, the final counts a disproportionate amount of the grade. So, no matter how badly you're doing—or think you're doing, if your course is graded on a curve that you don't yet have—be optimistic. Acing the final will, in most courses, make up for just about any earlier work.

20 . Focus on why you came in the first place. Remember when you were superexcited about all the things you'd learn in college and all the skills you'd develop? And even looking forward to these very courses? Recover those thoughts. They'll help you remain upbeat and motivated through the ups and downs of any course. And might even give a sense of purpose to all of your suffering, which would be something..

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