How To Manage the End of the Semester Drag

November 1, 2019 | 3:00 PM
Natasha Wright '22, Social Work Major

#Thestruggleisgoingtobereal

It’s official. We’re over halfway through the first semester of the 2019-20 school year. It feels like just yesterday we were moving into our new dorms, finding our way to our new classes and adjusting to the hustle and bustle of homework, practices, more homework, finding food, spending time with our friends and finding time to sleep – a delicate balance I know I still struggle with.

While we should celebrate reaching our halfway point, the second half of this semester has already proven to be anything but a party. Homecoming week was exciting (but busy) and we all needed a week to recover from that. As the days continue to tick by, like me, you may feel your motivation slowly start to dwindle. If you begin to feel the too’s set in (“It’s too cold to go to class,” or “I’m too tired to do the assignment,” or a bit of both) go ahead and hop on the struggle bus with me. This time of the year it’s important to remember why we are here: to get our degree. Prioritizing your academics, especially now when the want to do those things is at an all-time low, is most important.

During this season, you learn the importance of sacrifice, time management, how to prioritize, and how to say “No” when you just have too much on your plate. In the words of Amber Wagner, “If you put your mind to it and put your grind to it you can do it.” One way I’ve found to overcome this internal struggle between assignments, classes and clubs, is to find someone I know I can trust to help push and motivate me. So, whether it’s a friend, professor, coach, or a staff member that works in Student Life, find someone you can count on to keep you accountable. Having someone around to ask, “Hey, how are classes going?” or “Did you get your assignment done?” that you trust enough to be honest with helps you be real with yourself enough to realize you have to make good choices to reach your potential during your short four years here.

Luckily, here at Mac, we have a small enough campus that the #MacFam is real and there are countless students, professors and staff members I know that only want to see us succeed. If you’re on the struggle bus this semester, know that you’re not alone. Just hold on, we are almost at the finish line.