Dear struggling student,

It’s that time of semester. That time where class work piles on, where your GPA becomes a real number instead of the thing you tried to not look at, where professors add on all the work they’ve put off, when professors tell you “it’s in the syllabus,” when you ask about extra credit or your grade, that time of year when you feel like the whole world is against you. If there’s one thing every struggling student needs to hear it’s CALM DOWN, YOU GOT THIS!

This time of the semester is never easy. It’s this time of the semester where you regret procrastinating so much and wish you hit the books a little harder, it’s also the time of year when you swear you’ll never do this to yourself next semester, but we all know we will.

So what can anyone say to help with the stress load or calm you down a little bit when you’re worried about finals? The best thing I can tell you is breathe! You knew this time of the semester would come and here it is. So calm down, take a deep breath and figure out what you need to do. Make a list of things you need to do, schedule time to study for each test, find those books you’ve been using as paperweights, and most importantly log out of Netflix for the next two weeks. The next two weeks it’s all about school, not binge watching your new favorite TV show.

While studying is important and probably the best thing to do right now, you also need to make time for yourself to distress. Put down the books for a little while, get out of those horribly lit libraries, and get some fresh air. Take a walk, go to the gym, spend some time at the park, stressing out isn’t going to help you study and it’s not going to help with the nerves of the end of the semester.

Next, give yourself the best chances of being successful. Don’t try to pull an all nighter to study for the test you know you need to make an A on to get an A in the class, or even you just need to pass to pass the class. By forcing yourself to stay up all night you’re not going to retain any of the information you’re reading. Study for a hour or two and then take a break, don’t try to cram. Plan enough time to study for all the tests you have instead of just cramming.

When finals are over you can relax however you like to, and be thankful that you gave yourself the best chance of doing well during this stressful time. Take a second to calm down, remind yourself you’re more than just your GPA, and that you got this.

Best of luck to everyone on their finals and “may the odds be ever in your favor.”