Keep on truckin’ to beat out the rest of the semester

Three weeks.  Three weeks until summer.  Three weeks until freedom.

We are all counting down to the moment when we can pack up and head home or just breathe a sigh of relief and relax because the semester is over.

While most of our major assignments, exams and papers have been completed, we somehow have to muster up enough will power to push through the rest of our work for the semester.

It is said the finish line is the hardest part of a race because you can see the end.  Your legs start cramping.  It's harder to breathe.  Your muscles are ready to relax, and seeing how far you have to go only discourages you.

At the same time, you see the light at the end of the tunnel. You know the distance you've run has brought you to the goal, and it will only take a short time now to reach it.

Lets try to let this inspire us to sprint toward the finish.  Let's make the next three weeks the best time we've ever had. We know we're going to miss our friends and the accessibility of a good gym and served food. Especially for those graduating, take the time to relish your last walks across campus and for some afternoon naps. These small pleasures will not be available out in the real working world.

So get some water.  Take a break.  Do whatever it is you need to do to gear up for the next three weeks.

Watch the latest episode of your favorite TV show.  Go to the park and take a walk.  Read a novel or a magazine.  Go out to eat with your friends or family.  Draw and be creative. Go to an event on campus.  Be lazy for an afternoon.

And then start sprinting.  Why should our last few weeks of assignments get the shaft just because they are assigned at the end of the semester anyway?  These assignments can help us learn and can build our portfolios just as much as the assignments at the beginning of the semester. For some, they can also mean the difference between an A or a B or pass or fail, so don't let the hard work you've done all semester be put to waste.

There is a reason the semester is this long.  We still have things left to learn.  We are earning our degrees, so that's what we should do—earn them.  Work for them.  It will be worth it.