Hard
to believe but your first semester is more than halfway finished! I am sure
that you too feel that the semester has gone by very fast. In a few weeks you
will be heading home for the Thanksgiving holiday and the shortly after your
return to campus, we will be starting final exams.
It
is not too soon to start thinking about preparing for the end of the semester.
Final exams are a stressful time for everyone! A bit of preparing before you
reach finals week can be most helpful. The main thing to do is not panic! There
is still ample time to get yourself prepared and to do great on these tests.
Here are a few things to do over the next couple of weeks before the
Thanksgiving holiday.
Assess
how you stand in each of your classes. Decide which classes you have well under
control and which classes you might need to focus more attention to over the
next month or so. If there is a class or two that you are not doing as well in
as you had hoped, now is the time to go visit the professor and talk about
strategies for studying over the final month. Your professors can help you
organize your thoughts and identify priorities. They are also the best place to
go to truly find out how you stand in the class and what you can and need to do
to get the grade you want.
If
you have fallen behind in a class, now is the time to try to catch up. You
can’t do this in December – you simply will have too many demands on your time
with all of your classes to play catch-up too.
If
you have not done so already, try to identify some quiet places on campus to
study, places outside of your room and away from friends and other
distractions. Check out the library or CSI for some really nice quiet study
spaces that are isolated from others.
The
last suggestion I have for you is to try to get yourself caught up on your
course work as much as possible prior to the Thanksgiving holiday. It would be
great to be able to go home and not have any burden of studying hanging over
your head. Thanksgiving break is a wonderful time to unwind with your family
and with your old friends who are off at some other colleges. It is real
important as you finish this semester to keep a balance between your classes
and studying and some time for yourself. Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to
eat some turkey, watch some football, and totally get away from the Trinity
experience. Come back refreshed and ready to finish the semester in high
spirits and good health! Enjoy your Thanksgiving!
Dr. Steven Bachrach
Class Marshal
Class Marshal
