Most of us in the class of 2016 have already begun a countdown to graduation. At my university, we have approximately 30 days until we don our caps and gowns and kiss our college friends goodbye. We're on the brink of a huge life change -- it's terrifying and exhilarating. And it makes those final assignments for school seem trivial. Here are my tips for staying on the grind and getting the last of your college work done.
1. Remember why you started.
Think back to your first day of college. Were you full of hope, staring at your new classrooms and reminding yourself to breathe? Maybe you weren't excited to start your higher education at all; you just wanted the degree. Whatever the case, now is the time to honor that younger version of yourself. You've almost done it. You can't stop now.
2. Remember the consequences.
If thinking positively doesn't work for you, think negatively. Really. It seems contrary to popular advice, but, sometimes, you have to remind yourself that there will be tangible consequences to what you do and fail to do. The grades from your last semester of college? They will be on your transcript. They will affect your GPA. (Students who want to go to grad school later on, take note.)
3. Show up and do the work.
Every year at freshmen orientation, our provost tells incoming students the number one rule for college success: go to class. It gets tough during the final semester; you have job interviews, internships, and student debt to start worrying about. But if you're still paying tuition, go to class. Do the reading. You might even miss this kind of intellectual work after graduation.
4. Reward yourself.
For some of us, our diplomas will be the greatest reward, but don't be afraid to sweeten the deal for yourself. Reward yourself when you accomplish your goals, whether that's graduating with honors or getting into a top choice law school. Go on a road trip, buy those concert tickets -- heck, go on a road trip to see that concert. Knowing you have a reward on the other side of your goals may help you push forward.
Class of 2016, you've run the race. You've fought the good fight. You're weeks away from the end. Even if it feels like you're hanging onto your education by a fraying thread, keep hanging on. It won't be long until you cross the threshold into the "real" world (whatever that even means), diploma and future in hand.
