Late term grind proves tough balancing act

As the spring term barrels inexorably toward its conclusion and summer looms on the horizon, there is a palpable mixture of elation and anxiety in the air. Projects and papers pushed deep into the nethers of the psyche have suddenly become pressing issues and the impending threat of final exams is enough to make one regret having grabbed so many in-class Zs. It would seem there are simply not enough hours in the day to balance academic demands with extracurricular obligations. I find myself stuck between looking forward to the end of this insanity and dreading the advent of break, at which point I will most likely be performing soul-crushingly monotonous hours of manual labor for the better part of four months (gotta get them dolla dolla bills).

The notion has frequently occurred to me (recently more than ever) that if all the hair-pulling, sleep-depriving chaos was extracted from college while its essence was retained, you’d really have something going on. Not that I reject the concept of higher learning in any way; I just get the impression that running on a maximum of four hours of sleep per night, while chugging anything remotely caffienated, is more likely to kill a few brain cells than result in any sort of intellectual expansion.

I suppose this situation may be due in equal parts to the nature of my schedule (not having any days off does a psychological number on you), the usual late-term lack of motivation and an untamable tendency to put things off until the absolute last second – remember kids, it’s not procrastinating if you get it done eventually! I shouldn’t have as much of a problem next term, given I’ve somehow managed to wrangle Monday, Wednesday and Friday off while retaining my status as a full-time student.

While you hatin,’ I’m livin’ it up.

As utopian as this sounds, actually getting there might pose a bit of a challenge. Firstly, there is the aforementioned obstacle of surviving finals. Given the immense number of people surrounding me as I write this in the library, I’m going to go out on a limb and guess I’m not the only one in this particular boat. Workloads get a lot more psychologically real when the end of school is less than three weeks away, often making one feel overwhelmed, as if liberation from stress is an impossibility.

While this might be a little cliché, it really is of the utmost importance to prioritize. Ordering assignments according to difficulty, importance, how time-consuming they’ll be, etc. can prove an invaluable aid. For instance, it might be sensible to place more emphasis on a course that’s integral to your major than on some whimsical elective or gen. ed. Or perhaps it’s better to start chipping away at that bowel-loosening 15-pager and set aside the exam you could just as easily wing. I’m writing this for myself as much as anyone else;  when you need to get your ducks in a row, it doesn’t hurt to draw up a little manifesto to keep yourself on track.

The end of the term doesn’t necessarily erase all headaches, however. Those suffering the misfortune brought about by lack of employment are likely in for a desperate, boredom-filled summer and people lucky enough to find a job can look forward to, well, boredom and desperation, albeit with the consolation of having fatter wallets.

Should I be blessed with summer employment, it’ll probably be something along the lines of painting or landscaping, the only real benefit of which is the opportunity to work outside and get my tan on.  Otherwise, that stuff gets old quick. I have a feeling I’ll be ready to welcome academia with open arms long before August rolls around. The grass, to coin yet another cliché, is always greener on the other side.

Justin Levesque can be contacted at jlevesque@ksc.mailcruiser.com.