Alright, collegiettes- if you didn’t already know, school is back in session. (It has been for a week, so if you’re slacking, you better get on it!)
With the ending of Spring Break, that means that there are only about five more weeks until the end of the semester. For some, this is the best news since realizing that there were only six more weeks until the end of the semester. For others, it may not be that great because they aren’t where they need to be for a certain class.
So, if you’re on that second side, don’t panic! As always, HC UNF has got your back. We know that there are some things that need to be fixed before Finals Week rolls around to ensure that you’ve passed all of your classes, and you are on track to graduation, so here are seven things to do to make sure you’re ready for the end of the semester!
- Organize!
That’s what spring cleaning is all about, right? Go through your old papers, exams, quizzes –whatever. Toss what is no longer useful to you (like that start-of-the-semester syllabus quiz that you may or may not have flunked), or any random papers that you’ve written on, but have no idea of why. Doing this clears up space in you book bag, purse, or study area so that you can focus on what you really need to do before the end of the semester.
- Check your syllabus.
Toss the syllabus quiz, keep the syllabus. You probably didn’t read it every day, but now’s the time to take a second look. Do you have any end of the semester projects that are coming up? When is your final paper due? How will you grades be divided in the end? All of these and more will be answered in your syllabus for each class, and it’s important that you check to make sure you’re on top of everything that you should be.
- Check your grades.
Head over to Blackboard (if your professor uses it,) and see where you stand in the class. If you’re at a high B, go the extra mile and get that A. What about a high D? You may need to have a sit down with your professor to make sure that everything was put in (correctly), and see what else you may be able to do in order to pull that grade up.
Also, see what other assignments are left for the class. Any big projects that could account for the majority of your grade? Get on them! Make sure you do your best in order to raise your marks as much as you can.
- Take advantage of extra credit.
While some professors may not offer it, others are all for extra credit. Now is the time to take advantage of the opportunity that, let’s face it, doesn’t come very often in college. Whether it be an extra research paper or taking an extra quiz—if it’s offered and you need it, go for it. Extra credit is rarely harder than the work you do already, so buckle down and get it done.
- Speak to your professor.
No one knows your standing in a certain class better than the professor of that class. So, utilize those office hours! Professors actually appreciate when students come to them and discuss their work. If you’ve been attentive and present throughout the class, odds are your professor is willing to help you out in the final stretch. However, if you’ve missed more classes than you’ve attended, and texted or slept your way through the ones you did show up to, you may run in to more of a problem.
It’s important to participate in class, especially when the time comes where you may need more help from your prof. As long as they’ve seen that you have tried, then they are going to be willing to work with you.
- Speak to you advisor.
Advisors are there for a reason—to advise! You’re going to need to know where you stand in the grand scheme of things as far as your major and minor go, and that’s why your advisor is there. Do you need to take classes over the summer? What about a pre-internship class before you start applying for them? Maybe you’ve decided that your current major just isn’t for you, and you’re looking to switch. Your advisor is there to help you with all of these problems and more, so make sure you make an appointment through you MyWings, and sit down with them. It’s better to do it now than later so that you have more time to get everything down.
- Turn in your forms!
Internship applications, summer financial aid, fall housing—all of these and more require you to fill out some sort of paperwork and turn them back in to their respective holders. So, get it done! There are deadlines for them all, and they are pretty strict. If you have something that you must finalize, do it, and hand them back over. Once that’s done, you’re clear to move on to the next step of whatever you are doing, or go back and fix things that you need to fix. The sooner everything gets finished, the better. You don’t want all of that weighing on you when finals roll around, and you don’t want to miss those deadlines!
We’re coming up on the final days of Spring 2015, collegiettes, but we’re not done just yet. While there are still some things that need to be done in class, make sure that you take care of everything outside of the lecture hall as well, and that you can end the semester on a high note.
Good luck, collegiettes!
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