The end of your last college semester is a time for stress, eating, stress-eating, crying, struggling to meet deadlines, and all sorts of other craziness. No matter how hectic the next month will be, there are a few things you should remember.
1. You’re almost there.
In just a few weeks, all your hard work will pay off. You will have your degree, and no one can take that from you. You’ve earned it.
2. It’s normal to be stressed.
No matter how relaxed your classmates and friends may appear to be, they are probably just as worried as you are about finals and project deadlines. Everyone shows stress in different ways. Some people will want to be alone to work until they’re finished, and some will need breaks from their school obligations and want to take this last chance to hang out with this particular set of friends in the same circumstances. No matter how you handle stress, that’s okay. Do whatever works for you and helps you to feel better.
3. There’s no right way to prepare for finals.
Just like people handle stress differently, studying can be done in more ways than one can count. One friend may use flashcards, one friend may go over their notes one hundred times, and one friend may reread every chapter of the textbook. Never feel pressured to study in a way that doesn’t help you learn or retain information. If it helps you to hear the information instead of reading it, record yourself repeating it.
4. Don’t be afraid of what comes next.
No matter what your plan is after you graduate, dwelling on whether your new job/internship/grad school career/etc. will work out is not a problem for right now. Right now, just take things one at a time and get through the end of the semester. You are accomplishing something great by getting your degree, and whatever life throws at you next, deal with it as it comes and don’t psych yourself out now. You may hate your first job out of school, or you may love it and stick with it for years.
Won’t finding that out be an adventure?
