Five Keys to Success Finishing the Semester Out Strong

Five Keys to Success Finishing the Semester Out Strong The end of the semester is already here. In the next few weeks, there will be many group final presentations, papers and projects due as well as final exams. This time of the semester can be very stressful to get through but it can be done! Every student at the University of Illinois is more than capable of coming out the semester with a positive outcome. Here are five tips to get there! Focus One of the most important pieces of advice to get through this part of the semester is to focus. Focus requires some true discipline. Toward the end of the semester it is easy to become distracted and check out from school. Sometimes the hardest part of school is finding the motivation to carry on. To deal with this, figure out what activities take your mind off of school. Dedicate some time (but not too much) around your busy schedule to do those activities. This will help you feel more at ease when you need to spend those hours at the library. Set Goals The second step to finishing the semester out strong is to set goals. Goal setting is an essential step to attaining a desirable outcome to the end of the semester. Goal setting is usually done at the beginning of the semester, but your goals may have changed or altered. You should spend some time sitting down and writing down the result you want each course you are taking. The goals should be backed with an action plan to reach those goals. Refer back to these goals while working on achieving them and hold yourself accountable for following the action plan. Go to the Gym A effective way to deal with stress that may come about these next few weeks is to go the gym. It can be a task to get a full on workout in during this time, but it is important that you spend some time exercising. For me, lifting weights gives me the energy I need to get through the weeks. Even if lifting weights isnt appealing to you, we can all find an activity that will get the blood flowing. At Illinois the ARC and CRCE are two great spots to get that workout in. Along with working out, remember to eat healthy, nutritious, well prepared food, drink water, and get adequate rest. STUDY Well obviously! Develop a study schedule that is realistic enough to stick to and hit it hard. Sometimes studying at home can be a distraction so find a spot in one of the numerous libraries, coffee shops or even classrooms on campus. Spend enough time studying to master the material. Also, dont forget to take frequent five-minute breaks. Utilize office hours, email professors, and be ready with quality questions. ATTACK! This may seem a bit extreme, but it is important to attack these next few weeks with everything you have. A way to get into attack mode is to remind yourself of why youre studying at the University of Illinois. Think about your long term goals, your dreams and aspirations and find it in yourself to fight for them. It is easy to succumb to the distractions and the obstacles in the way of your goals. However, we must not fall to defeat, but attack our goals and achieve what we came to the University of Illinois to achieve! Immanuel Class of 2019 I am majoring in Agricultural and Consumer Economics within the College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences. I am from the northwest suburbs of Chicago. I chose the University of Illinois because of everything it can offer its students.