Last week marked the end of classes for my junior year of college. I only have three more semesters. This is unreal. Hold on, let me collect myself – this is not to suppose to be a sentimental post. The point is that this last week also marked the beginning of Finals: Season Fall 2K14! The pressure of having to remember (or relearn) everything that has been covered in four different classes that are somehow on four different sides of the academic spectrum for essays and exams is all too real right now.
But I must say I received some of the best advice in one of my last Statistical Methods class sessions – the class that has been the source of more than a few long nights over the course of this semester. My professor casually strolled into the lecture hall his usual six and a half minutes late with his enthused inquiry, “How are we?” With finals quickly creeping up, the undivided response was a dull moan of despair. A couple people raised above the grunts with similar cries of stress and anxiety.
Sensing that this was the common theme of his students, he instructed us, “Raise your hand if you’re stressed.” The air filled with lifted hands. For some reason this consensus was shocking to him. To us, it seemed like the appropriate, expected response. Not only was every one of our professors preparing to examine us on all of the material of the semester, but they’d also be testing us at virtually the same time. Intense.
After hearing our moans and our claim to high levels of stress, my professor painted an optimistic picture of our situations to uplift and encourage us during these trying times. He told us that at the end of every semester, we feel this same pressure and anxiety but we use it to focus, study, and retain the information we need to do well in every one of our classes semester after semester. He said that the pressure we felt urged us to apply ourselves and succeed in our academics. Then, with one word, he changed our whole perception of this “stress” that we were feeling. My professor told us to lose this idea of being stressed. Instead, we should think of that feeling as motivation.
Stress comes with such a negative connotation and subjects us to unnecessary, unconstructive apprehension. Motivation, on the other hand, has a positive nuance that inspires us to apply ourselves and do what is necessary to succeed. That is what we need during this finals season: the motivation to do what is necessary to succeed. So with my most challenging exams still before me, I am motivated to be successful and finish out this semester strong. I hope you’re motivated to do the same!