Mid Semester Check-up

At most institutions the semester is about half over, so this is a good time to pause and see how things are going.  Consider these things:

Check your grades – it may be a few more weeks until you receive your mid-term grades, but in many classes, you have an idea of how things are going.   If you have not been keeping your own record (change this next semester!) you can ask your professor.  There may be some “eye-rolling” because you should be doing this yourself!    

If you are in a class that only has a mid-term and a final, make sure you have all the information you need well before the midterm exam.

Check your attendance – Especially if a class has an attendance policy, make sure you know how many classes you have missed.  Hopefully this is none! If you are perilously close to a cutoff point, be sure go to all remaining meetings of the class!

If there is no attendance policy, that still means you should attend all classes.  Be sure you are doing so!

Check your study habits – How are you spending your time?  Are you making the best possible use of your time?    If anything needs improved, now is the time.  The remainder of the semester will fly by, but there is still time to be sure you are doing your best work possible.

Check your over-all health – are you getting enough sleep, exercising, eating regularly and properly?  Make any changes needed!

It is always a good idea to occasionally pause and reflect and evaluate how things are going, and the middle of the semester is the perfect time.    If something needs fine tuning, you can do that and definitely see the results in your final grades.

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First Semester Success: Learning Strategies and Motivation for Your First Semester (or Any Semester) of College, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer, is available at amazon.com, wordassociation.com and barnesandnoble.com.   Click on the upper right link.