A lot of college students get off to a great start during the spring second semester. They are getting their work in, managing their weekly demands, and doing a nice job planning and working ahead. The challenge that we often see is maintaining this for a full 16 week semester. Many students will begin to fade, run out of steam, or be unable to maintain the momentum that they had at the start of the semester. The objective is to maintain that consistency and keep their foot on the gas through the entire semester. Below are a few areas of focus for students to avoid a slowdown during the second half of a semester.
Set Weekly Goals- This is the most important step a student must take. We often find that students lose focus because they lose track of what they are trying to accomplish each week. Students need to set weekly (and hopefully monthly) goals that they can continue to monitor, strive towards, and use as motivation to keep themselves on track.
Establish Weekly Academic Tasks- Along the lines of setting goals, students need to continue to outline their weekly academic tasks and then follow through. By creating a clear and concrete plan, students will be better able to execute the work it takes to be successful in college. These tasks are non-homework actions that need to take place outside of class: textbook reading, lecture reviews, study tool creation, note taking, etc. A clear plan each week will help students be more effective, but also give them a measuring stick to assess their weekly progress and be aware if they are slipping in productivity.
Start Using Office Hours- Many students already use office hours, but many do not. For those students that haven’t been utilizing office hours yet, midway through the semester is a great time to start. It’s a good way to add in an extra strategy instead of slowing down and becoming complacent. This extra boost can help a lot of students maintain through the semester, especially as their schoolwork gets tougher.
Avoid Comfort- As the semester goes on and students get more comfortable, we find that they start to gravitate back into their dorm rooms. This usually is not good for a student’s productivity. They should be pushing themselves to get out of their dorm room and finding other places on campus to get work done. Starbucks, a library, a study room, or any other spot on campus will work. By making an effort to get away from the comfort of their dorm, students can be more productive.
Too often, students fall into the pattern of quick start and slow finish. By focusing on the basics and not getting too complacent, students can push forward and close the semester with the grades they want.