For some of us, we’ve just come back from Spring Break while others are just starting. Whatever the case is, as college students there’s one thing we ALL have in common at this point in the semester—the end is almost near. That’s right, the end of another busy and challenging school year is so close yet still so far away. If you’re anything like me, a boost of encouraging advice can be helpful to finish the semester off strong.

If you have a routine you’ve been following to keep you at bay thus far, the great but for those who don’t I strongly suggest comprising something. These last 6-7 weeks are extremely crucial! If there was ever a time to NOT slack off during the school year, right at the end is not it. I mean it; really grasp ahold of the amount of time you have and where you are academically and take every little assignment, every little quiz/exam, take everything little thing serious. Take a moment to consider what your priorities are or where they should be in order to get on track with ending the semester off the right way.

Don’t forget in the midst of this crazed time period to set some time aside for yourself. Yes, it is crucial to make sure everything is where it should be as far as your academics go but it is also equally crucial to make sure your mental health is in a good place. A good way to practice this is to make sure you're getting plenty of sleep; now, I know for some of us getting a full 8 hours of sleep is nearly impossible but I would at least suggest maintaining a good 5-6 hours per night. I mean think about it, if your mental state isn't strong how can you expect to make the right decisions in regard to your studies?

Now to shift gears a little, how many of you have ever thought about setting academic goals and rewarding yourself once you meet them? I find this strategy to be extremely helpful if there's a class I'm really struggling in. For example, Statistics makes me want to pull my hair out but I realize that I have to pass the class. At the beginning of the semester I made it my mission to pass the class with at least a B (I currently have a C but hey there's still time to pull it up) and I"m doing whatever necessary to get as close to that grade as possible: I'm being engaged in class and maintaining good communication with my professor if I don't understand something.

Now, if I manage to reach this goal then I plan on rewarding myself with something special. The idea of rewarding myself with something nice due to an academic achievement in a tough subject is just enough motivation to make me take the initiative to REALLY apply myself every day in that class. Not only will a physical reward be well earned, but seeing a B posted as my final grade will be the ultimate satisfaction.

And to close it all off, my golden rule for getting through this semester and finishing it on a high note is to take everything day by day. With it being crunch time, I understand that can be challenging but what good does it do you to be worried about where you'll be two weeks from now or even fast forward to finals week and you're jam-packed with studying galore.

Take a deep breath, and just breathe. It's all going to be absolutely okay. Have some faith in yourself and work through each school day one by one. At the end of the day, that's all you really can do.

The pressure is definitely on with this last stretch we all have until complete freedom for two 3 months, but don't stretch yourself out too far that you lose focus on what's the most important thing to you in the becoming weeks. Deep breaths...you've got this, you can do this, you can finish strong!