Time Management Skills Are Crucial to Surviving End of Semester Stress

The end of the semester is fast approaching. As a sophomore in college, I am completing the Fall semester. Final exams, projects, presentations, and papers take up 75% of my thought process, and I am sure your children can relate to this as well. When I was in high school, I experienced a lot of stress in those three weeks prior to midterms and finals. I did not know how to manage time or break up my workload, and often times I was afraid to ask my teachers for help.

Now that I am in college, I have learned some test prep strategies and time management skills that have helped me get through those high-stress times in the school year. I was a chronic procrastinator in high school; I dreaded doing my assignments and studying, so I put work off until the last minute, convincing myself that I work well under pressure (I don’t, by the way). I crammed the night before a big test, went into school groggy with caffeine running through my veins, and took the test half-asleep.

I learned the hard way that although cramming may seem like it works now, it won’t help you in the long run. You may have received an A on that chapter test, but when midterms and finals come around and you have to study for a cumulative test, you won’t have remembered anything, since you failed to store the information long-term. The best advice I could give a child who struggles with time management is to start planning for the end of the semester at the beginning.

On the first few days of school, your teacher should give you an idea of what the semester is going to look like. I suggest outlining a course schedule in a planner or calendar, whatever works best for you. So for example, say you have a book analysis due in a month. I would give yourself two weeks to read the book. By designating a certain number of pages to be completed per day, this gives you a clear and attainable two-week goal. When it comes to writing the paper, I would give yourself one week to write it and then one week to edit by reading it aloud, having someone proofread it, and proofreading it yourself.

If your course is driven by textbook reading and class notes, it is best to read everything when it is assigned, make flash cards and/or take notes while reading, and read over class notes each day after class. Also, right before your next class, read the notes from the prior day over again. Repetition is crucial for storing information long-term. If you’re preparing for a math test, do similar problems at least three times a few days in advance of a test; this way you can go to your teacher with enough notice to review any problems you don’t understand.

When in doubt, whether it’s a test or a project or a simple homework assignment, ask your teachers for clarification anytime you don’t know what’s going on. If you want to optimize your education, don’t let things wait until the last minute and end up in a panic. Try some of my strategies and work at your time management skills each semester. Best of luck.

Stephanie Santos
Boston Tutoring Services