The days are longer once again. The trees outside are beginning to bud. Chirping birds flit about the campus streets and byways. Day by day, across the country, college students are emerging from winter and confronting the end of the semester.
As you look at your daily calendar, you may feel overwhelmed to see the number of tasks that are multiplying overnight. It may feel like there won’t be enough hours in the day to get it all done. And as far as getting it done well, well that may seem like a very tall order indeed.
So how to best manage all these looming deadlines and expectations while still managing to enjoy the last few days and weeks on campus? Truthfully, the answer may vary. Each student may need to experiment to find out what works for them.
Some students subscribe faithfully to the notion that they do their best work “under pressure.” These students will intentionally put off completing assignments and papers until the last minute, fully knowing this will result in that beloved classic of college life: the all-nighter. Some of these students may truly perform better this way. Like a performer on stage, they are sharper and more energized by the pressure of having no choice other than to come through in the moment. Anxiety does not get the better of students who work better under pressure. Rather, they are able to enter a state of flow. The work is actually easier; the product of their effort is truly original and creative.
If this does not sound like you, rest assured that you are not alone. Many other students may be initially misled early in their college experience by the notion that the “all nighter” is cool or necessary to experience. These students will pursue the all-nighter approach and experience less than optimal results. Sometimes they run out of time and find themselves submitting a less than complete project or paper. Other times, the work is complete, but not the best work the student would have been capable of, had they allotted more appropriate time to their work.
Students who have a bad experience with the “all nighter” and others who arrive on campus already knowing that this is not the best option for them, follow a different approach. They actively schedule time in their weekly schedule leading up to the assignment deadline. This enables them to start early and chip away gradually at the necessary work. They hold themselves accountable to their established study plan. Sometimes they will still need to push and study longer hours as the deadline approaches, but these students are not starting from scratch the day before the deadline. They have done some of the research, written a good chunk of the paper or studied some sections of the material on the exam.
As you gaze at your calendar, it may help to consider your level of confidence and degree of comfort with the subject matter being presented in a particular course. The level of the course in the department may also be an indicator of the expectations of your professor; an assignment in a 400 level course will likely carry with it much higher expectations regarding the sophistication and quality of your work as compared with a 200 level course.
Setting expectations for yourself is a critical part of the equation. Being reasonable about what you want to accomplish within the limited time that remains in the semester can set you up for success regardless of whether you choose to pursue the “all nighter” or “chipping away at it” approach to completing your work. It may also help to remind yourself that in a matter of weeks you’ll be packing up your room and heading into summer. Happier times are on the horizon.