T.S. Elliot once said “April is the cruelest month”. When I look back on my college years in the April time frame, I think to myself “T.S. Elliot must have gone to my college.” Even though I know that T.S. Elliot was meaning to say things are reborn only to die with this sentence, I use this quote to explain the final moments of my college years as a whole. Literally, college life in April was always stressful as hell! I had so many projects due all at once, so many essays to write all at once, and I was still involved in extracurricular activities. I never pulled an allnighter because I made sleep a priority, but there were instances in April that I was tempted to pull an allnighter. There were even times when I wanted to throw down my pen or marker and say “Screw this. I’m not doing this.” However, I was a very organized and goal oriented person, so I knew that just not doing the project was not an option. I had to think about my future and how not completing a project could not only result in a zero, it could lead to more projects not being done, me having to drop out and possibly having to work at McDonald's to pay the bills. Nonetheless, I did find ways to make project constructing a little less of a nightmare. By sticking to those ways, my GPA ended up a 4.0. Now, I am doing what I love to do and have a good relationship with my boss and my co workers because of my work ethic. So, here is my guide to “Getting through College during The Cruelest Month.”
In college, I learned very fast that your planner is your best friend. I wrote down every assignment I had to do, if I had work that day, and whether I had any extracurricular activities that day. I lived off my planner. Having a planner in your possession improves your organization and time management skills. Even if a project was not due until a week later, I still wrote it on the current date spot I was writing my other assignments due the next day. It was no secret that college was completely divergent from high school. A high school student could always do fine if they did their project the night before or read the whole book the night before. In college, if you procrastinate, it could be the end of you right there! College is all about how you will perform when you say salutations to the world of independent adulthood. If you make it a habit to procrastinate, no one will hire you! You either want to be a week ahead of schedule or two days ahead. If you get the rough draft done early, you have plenty of time to edit. Make it a priority to do a little of the project every single day if you have a long term assignment. Next, never be afraid to ask questions or have someone look at your project before turning it in. There is always room for improvement and there is nothing wrong with asking for help. By having assistance in a project, you know exactly what you need to do and what your professor is looking for. If you turn it in blind, odds are there was a lot you missed and the grade you got and deserved might not be the same as the grade you wanted. Also, never get frustrated too easily. It’s just an assignment. It is not a matter of life and death and it’s not the end of the world. There are people who have it worse than you do and they keep holding it together with a smile on their faces. If many people can power through starvation, being homeless, and freezing temperatures, you have no right to get frustrated over a minuscule assignment. Lastly, don’t just give up right there. It shows you do not care about the assignment as much. Therefore, you will not care about your grade as much. Being discouraged sends the message that when the going gets tough, you have to quit. Never give up! Think about that A at the end of the year, think about that diploma in your hand, and think about that phone call stating you were offered that position you desired. Positive mindset equals positive outcomes. Is doing a mountain of homework heart wrenching and exhausting, absolutely! But where you want to be in the future is the exact same way. Once it is all over, you can stand up with your head held high and yell, from a mountain top, “I did it.” Literally, the feeling of accomplishment is beyond measure and you will feel so wonderful. The cruelest month is the climb in college, but everything post April is the wonderful view of it all.
