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November 27, 2006
Advising Tip: The End of the Term
Here are some practical ideas for surviving and even thriving during the next few weeks.
In the next few days you'll notice it. People will be scurrying across the Diag, looking preoccupied. There'll still be chatter and laughter, but the timbre will be more nervous, more subdued than it was just last week. People whom you haven't seen in class for weeks will start showing up for lectures and discussions, and the computer labs will be jammed. Perhaps for the first time, there'll be lines for your profs' office hours. The end of the term is almost here, and it's getting serious as the due dates for term papers approach and as final exams near.
If you've been working hard all semester, you'll be fine. Just take some time to survey your courses, checking what you have left to do and when you need to get it done. Go through your notes, previous exams, past homework, etc., and if there are any concepts you don't quite understand, see your instructors or GSIs during their remaining office hours. Or make an appointment.
If you haven't worked quite hard enough or have fallen behind in one-or-more courses, be realistic about how much of a salvage operation you can mount at this point. Try to take an objective look at what you have accomplished and what you have left to do in all your courses. If you're not exactly sure about what you have left to do in a course or whether you can pass, contact the instructor or GSI, now! Depending on what you find out, you might need to focus on a couple of the salvageable courses and let one-or-two courses go. If this is the case, you should make an appointment to see your advisor.
As deadlines and exams near, cramming and all nighters might seem unavoidable, but be realistic about how much you can truly learn in the last few hours before an exam. How long can you be truly productive without getting some sleep? Again, getting organized now, before the final crunch comes, could help you from having to spend the night before a paper is due snoozing on your keyboard. Put some opportunities in your schedule to go through your notes several times over the next few days rather than waiting just till the night before an exam.
Don't give into the temptation to try to re-read everything that was assigned before the exam. It's probably not possible to do this, and it would be ineffective. Instead, ask the instructor about the critical points to review before the exam. If the instructor doesn't offer much help in focusing your review, go back to your notes to see what he/she emphasized during lectures and discussions. That should help you figure out which sections of texts you should review.
No matter how much work you have, remember you need sleep, nutrition, and exercise to be at your best. Carve room out of your schedule for all of these. In particular, get enough sleep the night before a final. Also allow yourself some breaks where you can socialize with friends, roommates, etc. You're not the only one feeling pressure these days, and it's healthy to talk about it. If you're feeling overwhelmed, consider a visit to Counseling and Psychological Services: 3100 Michigan Union.
Above all else, keep it all in perspective. Sure grades are important, but they aren't life. The grades you get this term may have an impact on your future, but they won't determine it.
Posted by skassner at 11:40 AM | Comments (0)
November 20, 2006
Advising Tip: Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving or #$%@&! Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Scenario 1
The smell of roasting turkey wafting through the house, a fire glowing in the fireplace, the voices of family engaging in cheerful banter, in the background, the Lions winning (It's a fantasy, OK?) on the TV…. Ah, Thanksgiving!
You're in your own room at your own desk, not just finishing up next week's work but even studying for finals. Soon you'll close the books and head downstairs for a terrific dinner and great conversation with relatives eager to learn about all that you've done at Michigan this semester. Tomorrow and Saturday, you'll hang with your high school pals and laugh about the great times you're all having at college. You'll sleep late Sunday and then nap some more on the plane (or in the car) on your way back to school.
Or
Thanksgiving Scenario 2
Waiting at the airport for your late plane, wondering whether your luggage will make it home, fighting with your younger sibling who has claimed your room as his/her own, getting interrogated over dry turkey by your uncle, the insurance agent, about what you think you're going to do with an English degree…. #$%*& Thanksgiving!
You try to study but your sibling won't let you use your (his/her) desk, and the triptovan in the turkey, not to mention listening to your grandma drone on about her various aches and pains, makes you so sleepy that you don't wake up till noon on Friday. You meet for lunch with your friend who's going to Duke, and he/she is having a “crisis” with his/her girlfriend/boyfriend. You spend the better part of Friday and Saturday listening to her/him whine, then get up at 5:30 Sunday for your 9:00 A.M. flight, which doesn't leave the gate until noon. Your luggage? It's in Omaha.
Chances are your Thanksgiving will not match the either of these extremes, but be realistic about the holiday weekend. Try to carve (pun intended) some time on Turkey Day and/or the rest of the weekend for studying, but it's not reasonable to expect that the Thanksgiving will give you time to catch up on all the work you put off this term. Instead, make a list of what you absolutely have to get done before you get back and focus on doing that first. Organize the time you know that you'll have for studying. For example, if you are flying home, think about the kind of work—reading, reviewing notes, studying flashcards—you can do on the plane and at the airport.
It'll be great to see your family, and your parents and siblings will be delighted to have you back. But even in the few months since last summer, your and their habits have changed. You have to give yourself a little time to adjust to being home, and your family has to adjust to having you home. Be patient with yourself and with them.
Your relatives will want to know what you're doing in school and want to know about your concentration. If you don't have a concentration, it might be best just to say that. You can tell them that you don't want to rush into a bad decision and that a concentration is only about thirty credits, a couple of semesters.
Count on the inevitable “What are you going to with that major?” question from a caring but rude relative. Don't be defensive. Sometimes a little humor will take care of it: “When I finish my philosophy degree, I'm going to open the best philosophy shop in the state of Connecticut.” Or just use the facts: recruiters from a wide array of businesses are looking for smart liberal arts graduates, and you have chosen or will choose a concentration that will let you show just how smart you are.
Finally, make sure you rest and relax. Traveling and holidays inevitably lead to stress. Make sure that you give yourself sometime just to take it easy.
Have a good (if not a great) Thanksgiving!
Posted by skassner at 11:38 AM | Comments (0)