Now that midterms are over and the end of the semester is quickly approaching, it’s easy to go into a slump and slack off a little bit. Finals aren’t for another month and a half and we have Thanksgiving break to look forward to at the end of this month. November is tough because it’s almost like a limbo period before the end of the semester.

November is typically the month when most term papers are assigned and presentations are due. I don’t know about you, but my professors tend to assign every single important assignment for the semester to be due all in the same week. Sometimes it seems like they get together and say “What can we do to make these student’s lives as stressful as possible?”

You should be asking yourself, “What can I do to eliminate some of this stress from my life?”

The biggest mistake that any college student can make is slacking off toward the end of the semester. It’s extremely tempting to skip class and sleep in instead, but take it from me, you’ll regret not going to that class.

Going to class is important because you miss so much in one class. When you are in class, you might get helpful tips about your tests or papers that you wouldn’t know if you don’t go to class. Trust me, I understand that some classes just are not worth going to sometimes but generally speaking it’s really important to try to go to class as much as possible, especially toward the end of the semester.

I know it sounds crazy and it’s hard to believe, but from past experience I have learned that going to class is actually a way to relieve some stress, especially when deadlines are coming up. When you’re in class you are able to ask questions and talk to other students, and by doing so you may be able to put your mind at ease in knowing that a lot of your fellow peers have the same questions and worries as you.

Other than going to class, I would definitely recommend planning ahead. I’m not really one to talk when it comes to planning ahead and getting work done ahead of time because I tend to work better under pressure, however on the rare occasions that I do get assignments done ahead of time I feel such a sense of relief. If you’re like me and you know that you typically procrastinate on every assignment, I would still advise you to get a planner and write everything down. When you wait until the last minute to do something, it’s very easy to feel overwhelmed and overlook an important part of an assignment. Writing everything down in a planner can help you stay organized and on top of everything that you have to do.

A few other pointers to have a stress free November:

• Retype your notes from class and make an outline, that way you’ll have your own study guide already made when it’s time to study for finals.
• Meet with your professor if you’re having a problem with something, they have office hours for a reason, so use them!
• Make a few friends in every one of your classes and meet up with them for study groups before big tests or presentations.
• Actually do the readings that your professors assign.

As a college student, November is a tough month to get through but I hope these pointers help you make No Stress November possible.