Just because you are a crammer does not mean that you are a bad student. Whether you’ve been a crammer for your whole life, or if it is just this particular school season that has you racing to beat the deadlines, this does not mean that you are a bad student. Some people work well under pressure, and even if you are not one of those people, your mind still has great capabilities! Just because it is the last few weeks of the semester and suddenly you find yourself under a pile of things to do, do not let that become a critique of the student you are.
Could you have prepared and prevented this? Sure. But also—maybe not. There are lots of things that could be going on in your life that you may have needed the brain space to tackle. And that is OK. That is valid. You also need to keep in mind that we are coming from a year of online school. Almost a year and a half. And whether or not your classes are still online or in person, there is still a lot that has changed this year that has taken up some mental space. Things are shifting back closer to “normal” even if they are not all the way there yet. There has been a season of college football and with that tailgates, live fans and school spirit. There has been illness as well as vaccinations. If you were in Tallahassee within the month of November, it seemed half of the school got struck down with the flu!
Whether you realize it or not, these many external forces are creeping into your brain. They are taking up little spots making little homes and you may not have realized it until right about now. Suddenly, there are all these things you have to get done and no space for them in your head or schedule! That is OK. I’m not saying slack off, I’m not saying don’t give it your all, I’m not saying give up now. What I am saying is give yourself some slack, give all that you can in this moment, and that you got this. We’re in the final stretch and you have made it this far! Think about that! You have made it this far—give it to yourself by doing the best you can right now.
Even if that means cramming, take it step-by-step, one by one, a breath at a time. Make a schedule for yourself. Line it all up on a calendar. What is due when and how much it will take to get it done. Then, in order of due first to due last, taking in consideration the effort it will take to complete each, make yourself a plan of action. A plan to succeed with all that you got. You can and are going to kill it. I know you will no matter what.
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