As the end of the semester nears, it’s very tempting to become lazy. It is easy to forget or postpone seeking advisement and registering for spring classes but finals are also around the corner, and the only thing that needs more attention than our future classes, are the ones we have now. Allie Blanchard, sophmore, explains “School becomes less exciting to me and I’m very anxious to just get home for my long break.” To help avoid flunking in the homestretch Christie Nadratowski , Office of Student Success advisor, shares some tips on how to end the semester on a high note.

“My first and most important advice is to speak to your professor,” states Nadratowski. Students’ first initiative should be to talk to their professor since there is still time to get assistance. It is important to not be afraid of what judgments they will have, staff will most likely be appreciative that you came to speak to them. There is the possibility of extra credit, or rewriting a paper. You won’t know until you try.”

Students need to make sure that you stay on top of all assignments and continue attending class. We have all heard or thought, “I haven’t missed any classes, so it’s no problem if I miss one now.” A popular misconception shared among university students is that if they have not missed any class throughout the semester, it should cause no harm to miss classes in the end and they use their available “skips”. What most students are unaware of is that this thought causes more harm than good. Naratowski adds “The classes at the end of the semester are a little more important as teachers have reviews and advice.” Professors are more likely to inform their students on what to expect for the final exams.

While preparing for exams, it’s important to remember not to wait until the last minute. We might have gotten by cramming for tests before, but it’s too far in this semester to risk it all on ill-advised study tactics. Going over previous tests, if the final is cumulative, is the best idea. Get together with the friends you have made throughout the semester in class to form study groups. You can all help each other end on a good note.

With the excitement surrounding a semester’s end, it’s easy to forget about your available resources in the university. Nadratowski shares the many resources we have including “the library, your assigned department adviser, Office of Student Success, tutoring center, writing center, resident advisers, and deans.” Towards the end of the semester, most of these resources have walk in hours or longer hours to accommodate students in their preparations for finals.

So just because we are in the home stretch of the semester, doesn’t mean it’s time to slow down. Now it is when students have to be more focused and stay on top of their game.