Dear over-expended college student,

We are coming to the end of the semester, which means this is your professors’ last chance to fill up your very limited free hours with hundreds of pages of reading, final projects and exams. Let’s not forget that you still need to make a final decision regarding your summer plans.

Do you feel like you’re trying (mostly failing) to stay afloat shark infested waters, while simultaneously curing cancer and running a thirty-mile marathon? Well, let me tell you something: you are not alone. The end of semester torture is something that every college student goes through, and although it may not feel like it now, it’s going to get better. I’m not saying it’s going to be easy, but you will get through this.

As you go through your syllabi and look at how much you still have to do until the end of the semester, it’s daunting, to say the least. I know your homework is piling up and the books you haven’t read all semester are slowly creeping up on you, but it will all be over soon. You just need to take it one step at a time.

You’re obviously going to be incredibly stressed and overwhelmed when you look at that stack of textbooks on your desk or the essay outlines you have yet to complete. The reason you are stressed is because you are looking at everything that needs to get done, which makes you procrastinate, and then eventually makes you even more stressed. You need to break everything down and set small goals for yourself so this continuous and horrid cycle finally stops.

Say you have two six-page papers and 50 pages to read all due in one week. Set a goal of writing one or two pages a day, as well as reading about eight pages. If you feel like you want to write/read more, by all means stick with your flow, but don’t push yourself if you can’t. You are just going to get burned out more quickly, which will only make it harder for you to get things done.

You need to give yourself more credit; look at how far you’ve come! You are almost completely done with another year of college! YAY! I know you are extremely tired and stressed, but the fact that you have taken time for yourself to read this letter is an accomplishment within itself. Congratulations!

On that note, do more things that make you happy – you deserve it. If jumping on your bed makes you happy, get jumping! I know you have a lot to do, but just take a moment for yourself. You’ve already accomplished so much, and you earned a little bit of fun. Your work will still be there when you return, but doing something for yourself will help you de-stress and get back into “school mode” with a clearer mind.

Believe in yourself; you’re so much stronger and smarter than you think.

Just a few more weeks to go. You’ve made it this far. You got this.

Best of luck,

Another over-expended college student