With the last few weeks of the semester upon us, it is officially crunch time. The holidays are approaching and classes are winding down, as Seton Hall students are sure to make the most of the time they have left to end the fall semester on a high note.
As a result many students find themselves shifting their priorities to make the most they can out of their limited hours.
“At the beginning of the semester I was able to focus more on extracurricular activities because schoolwork wasn’t as demanding,” sophomore Jasmine Davis, biology major said. “Now I put more of a priority on schoolwork because it’s gotten more demanding in terms of exams. I don’t even have time to go to club meetings anymore.”
This is the time of the semester when grades matter the most and many students are scrambling to maximize study time by spending more time than usual in the library, or squeezing in a little extra studying here and there.
“I feel like during finals I make sure to optimize all the extra little time I have,” sophomore Jessica Dell Aquila, biology major said. “If I have a 30 minute break I’ll pull out flashcards and do something productive in my downtime. All those little snippets of time add up.”
As students go through college, they begin to develop valuable time management skills that make stressful times like finals more doable.
Sophomore Kiersten Lynch, English major, who is a peer advisor, offered some end-of-semester advice.
“My thoughts on managing time is to make a schedule and plan when you’re going to do assignments and estimate how long they will make,” Lynch said. “Even if you need to readjust your estimates, it will help get things done.”
While dealing with deadlines stresses some students, Davis and others feel that “crunch time” actually makes them more productive.
“I think being busy actually helps me,” Davis said. “If I have extra time, I push things off, but if I’m stressed out I get things done one after the other because I have no choice.”
She added, “The stress helps me focus in a weird way.”
Davis also expressed her thoughts on maintaining holiday cheer during the stress of finals.
“The harder you study now, the more you’ll be able to relax with your family during the holidays,” Davis said.
Thinking about those rewards is what helps her stay focused and on top of her work as the holidays season approaches.
Rachel O’Connor can be reached at rachel.oconnor@student.shu.edu.
