*Slow, rhythmic ticking can be heard, like the steady pace of a metronome at 60 bpm*

College is a very busy time for students, and things just become more hectic and chaotic as each semester draws to a close. It seems like you’ve got class here, a project to work on there…oh shoot, got to go to work for eight hours the next two days, oh well! By the way, don’t forget about that paper that’s looming. You know, the one due two weeks from now.

*A small man with crazed, sleepless eyes peers over the edge of the frame and whispers "Finals are coming!" before slowly lowering beneath, out of view*

One aspect of college life seems to be universally true across all students – time flies by ridiculously fast! Semesters come and go like socks rotate in and out of the drawer. Freshman year comes, but then it’s gone before you can even take two breaths, and the other years fly by even quicker!

*The pace of the ticking increases*

With all these classes you take in what seems like such a short time, you may wonder just how you completed all that work and survived. For some people, they may look back and wish they had performed better, while those who ended up where they wanted to may wish they could have gotten though school without developing an ulcer.

For every student (mostly college, but applicable to high school students as well), here is the most fool-proof, obvious tip to getting through school with the least amount of stress, and reaping the maximum amount of reward out of your performance, that most people (myself included) still can't seem to grasp:

*Silence*

Do Not Procrastinate! *Bah bah baaaahh!!!*

I know, it’s the same thing you’ve been told by your teachers year after year, but as a college student with firsthand experience, I really can’t stress this enough. My particular problem is that procrastination usually doesn’t affect my grades adversely, especially when it comes to writing papers. I have put off writing papers that were assigned for two to three weeks until the day before (occasionally the day of) the turn-in date. The A’s I receive on those papers only reinforces that bad procrastination habit! (I know, why am I complaining?) Once, I even procrastinated until the last few days of a semester for a term project, B.S.ed my way through it, and got an A. (I do not recommend doing that by the way. Do what I say, and do not attempt to pull something glorious out of Ferdinand's rear-end, because it is usually crap).

*Ticking resumes at the former pace*

Many people aren’t so lucky. The majority of people who procrastinate on major assignments are typically content with C’s and B’s, and there's nothing wrong with that, to each his own; if those are the grades somebody is happy with, then more power to them. But what many of these students don’t realize is that they truly are capable of getting A’s on these assignments, if only they put a little more effort into it, which often requires only an hour more, maybe two of dedication. Side note: the more practice you get at performing well in school, the more of a natural art form it becomes to you!

And sure, some people work better under stress. And there have apparently been studies that suggest procrastination is actually good for students. Well, apparently those researchers have been out of school for a long time!

*The ticking noise crescendos*

Now we’re all human, and it’s probable that we’re going to procrastinate from time to time. If we had all day, I could tell you a countless number of personal stories about procrastination (and the lack of suffering thereof, miraculously), but if you don’t mind, I should actually be getting started on that homework now…

*The sound of a ticking clock has grown to a catharsis, as the camera slowly zooms onto the timepiece mounted on the wall. Then suddenly, the screen cuts to black. The ticking stops.*

Wisdom of the week: "Eventually, everyone runs out of time. Make the most of it."