A month from when you’re reading this, the semester will be over.
Depending on how far along you are into your journey into college, the significance of this may vary. It could look like a halfway point, an end to the first year of something completely new to you, or it could even mean being done with your education entirely.
Whatever a month from now may look like to you, it’s important to not lose focus while also still being kind to yourself.
Yes, assignments might pile up, deadlines for big projects might inch closer by the minute, and the looming fear of finals week will only go away once it’s over. But even if this is your first semester of college, remember that this isn’t the first time you’ve dealt with the pressure of having to juggle a lot of assignments at once.
Consider how much time in high school you may have spent being told by teachers that everything you did then is to prepare you to deal with the challenges of getting a college education. If these teachers were realistic, then chances are they were right to prepare you with a similar workload to what is expected at an institution of higher learning.
Post-secondary education isn’t supposed to be easy, but it isn’t supposed to be mind-numbing either. We are all at the point where we’ve dealt with these challenges before, so once finals week is over, the feeling of relief and the overall experience of taking the work on should be familiar.
We don’t have to tell you how to pace yourself or to not wait until the last second to do everything the day before it’s due. Not only have you likely had those lessons already, but we’ve talked about this in so many previous Globe’s Point articles that it’s stale.
But even if this is something you’ve done multiple times, it may still be overwhelming. This is perfectly understandable, and it’s OK to feel that way.
Just remember that, no matter what point you are at in your college career, it will get better and easier. And if this is your last semester ever, a hearty congratulations to you.
Naturally, much of the questions for graduates and people continuing their education, whether they’re finishing up an undergraduate degree or deciding to go through graduate school, are going to be about the future. “What’s next?” “Where do you expect to be in a year?” “How will you do this?”
Can these questions be pestering and feel like unnecessary prodding? Of course they can. But it’s usually out of a place of genuine excitement and support.
And even if you don’t exactly know what things will look like a year into your college education, if you’ll keep the same major or if you know what you’ll do after you graduate, that’s OK. Four years may sound like some time at first, but — and everyone will say this — it goes faster than you’ll expect. Having everything figured out in such a short amount of time or less is not an easy task.
So don’t forget to take things easy on yourself and take breaks when necessary. After all, your health and wellbeing is paramount to everything else. You’re at your best when you’re rested and feeling alright, but you don’t need a newspaper to tell you that.
Regardless of where you are in your time at Point Park, we’re rooting for you.
