Holiday Homestretch

Did you hear that? That was the sound of this semester completely flying past us! It seems that we were just talking about the first day of school, and now here we are looking at the last few days of classes. I wish I could say that this semester was simply amazing and every aspect went smoothly. But I would be lying. This semester thoroughly humbled me in ways that I may have been more than unprepared for. Essentially, it kicked my butt and made me reevaluate EVERYTHING! But, it’s also been fulfilling and rewarding in so many ways that I’m not sure that I could name them all.

Ultimately, I’m really just happy that there’s only a couple of days left for this semester. I’m ready to close this chapter and get ready for the next, which is the spring semester (and warmer weather!). As I begin to think about how I can make next semester even better than this one, I’ve come up with a few things that I think would be great for ALL of us to remember as we continue toward our educational goals:

• Time budget is just as important as financial budget. We tend to think about school strictly in terms of what we can afford to pay out of our pockets, but we often fail to consider what we can afford in terms of time. When you are in school, other aspects of your life will require an adjustment in the amount of time spent. This is especially true if you have a spouse and/or children.
• Don’t overestimate your ability to handle online classes. Many students (myself included at times) think that an online class will be somehow easier than an in-person class, because you have the ability to choose your own times to complete your work. However, this is actually a huge responsibility. It is very easy to fall behind if you are not disciplined with your approach to your online coursework.
• Speed is not nearly as important as accuracy. It can be so tempting to register for a full load of classes in order to finish quickly and move on with the next stage of life. However, taking a full load only matters if you: 1) actually have the time to devote to each class, and 2) can complete all the requirements for each class in a timely fashion. Most times in life, slow and steady really does win the race.

All in all, I am thankful for the experience of this semester, while also thankful that it’s almost over! In an ode to WINTER BREAK, next week, I’ll wax poetic about all the things that I’m able to enjoy again (since I won’t have homework!).