The Home Stretch

Ahh, the Holidays. In my humble opinion, the best time of the year. Specialty flavored coffee, Christmas decorations, the end of the first semester of college...

...wait. What?

An entire nine weeks of college, practically gone already?! Madness, I tell you. It's funny, how quickly one grows accustom to college (I promise, it will happen). You get so busy with classes and friends and clubs and sports and calling your Grandma back that time flies. A lot of Tar Heel alum and upperclassmen have told me how quickly their time at Carolina came and went and how much they miss the university.

I'm beginning to understand.

I'll be honest, with my first set of finals approaching in seven days (excluding weekends) I'm getting a bit nervous and I'm kinda wishing it was second semester already so I can take Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for my fitness class (yes, I am getting credit for learning to kick butt and that...well, kicks butt). But finals are a natural part of school (unfortunately) but if I can get prepared now, then I won't be pulling all-nighters in the library (remember, sleep = good).

I also realize many of you are going to be hearing back from colleges soon (some of you might have already). And I wish all of you the best of luck. Celebrate every acceptance, and take in stride any possible let-downs. I know from personal experience that rejection letters hurt, and pride gets wounded and you wonder what-if. I'm not going to tell you don't do that (I know you're going to) but know that it's not the end of the world. EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON.

So as well all prepare for for the winter holidays and the end of the first semester, I have some more tips that I have found useful here during my time at Chapel Hill:

• Finish all homework before you go on break. I'm serious. Do it. Because more than likely, you'll wind up discovering a Lord of the Rings marathon on Encore that includes deleted scenes you never knew existed and you will watch and you will not want to do Spanish. I promise. Breaks are for taking breaks, so plan accourdingly to have as much work done as possible before you leave so you don't have to crack a single text book.
• Notecards are boss. Still.
• If you have a hectic schedule that makes it hard to find time to study: 1) Make notecards, and 2) Study whenever you do have time, such as when you're waiting for the bus or waiting for class to start. All these brief moments of your life add up and you'll appreciate having gone over vocabulary instead of staring at the kid pick his nose.
• Do get the pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks if you have never had one. YUM.
• Finish strong. I know, it's the end of the semester and you feel burned out, bored with classes, and eager for break. Gathering the energy to do things such as go to class and study are harder, but this is why rest and relaxation is just as important as academics. A fine balance can help you cross the finish line victoriously instead of lagging behind and barely making it across at all.

I hope you had a fantastic Thanksgiving and I truly hope that you came out of Black Friday with all of you intact. I wish you the best with your applications and your college letters. I hope you all find what you were looking for.

Thanksgivingly-Stuffed,

Ashley Spruill

amspruil@live.unc.edu