As the 2023-2024 school year begins to wrap up, students share their best advice to stay on track with academics and extracurriculars. While the sun is out and the weather is warm, many students feel their motivation decreases during their final push to summer.
Focusing on school can be difficult during the fourth quarter when much of what students are thinking about relates to their approaching summer vacation. Especially with AP Exams and finals nearing, it is easy to feel overwhelmed and burnt out.
Some underclassmen spoke about how they navigate the stressful spring semester with the school workload ramping up and while also being able to enjoy their outside of school commitments.
Sophomore Cole Helder shared his honest thoughts about how he is dealing with school in the fourth quarter. Helder stated, “I don’t feel like I can stay on track because when I get home, I don’t feel focused and I do everything the night before. With extracurriculars, I normally stay on track because they are important to me. I am definitely losing motivation because this year has been filled with so much work. I don’t think I am the right person to give advice to others because it’s hard for me to stay on track and be motivated.” Many students can relate to Helder as they also feel their enthusiasm for school decrease.
Although people may try to have a positive mindset during the spring semester, their optimism can be challenged knowing the work ahead. Freshman Addison Van Veen touched on how she stays motivated, as well as the importance of taking breaks to balance out the stressful semester. Van Veen stated, “Volleyball helps me decompress after a long day and takes my mind off of school for a bit.”
While Van Veen feels as if her extracurriculars are an escape from the stress from school, she spoke on her motivation levels and how she navigates the great deal of work at school. She shared, “I 100% start to lose motivation once it gets to this last stressful quarter, but I have to remember that I’ve come this far and can push a little more to get to the end because it is so important to just finish strong.”
Helder and Van Veen have two different outlooks when it comes to the spring semester, but both provide perspectives that many can relate to. Van Veen shared a piece of advice that may help students who feel like they can’t make it through this last semester. Van Veen stated, “My best piece of advice is to take breaks and enjoy the little things, like a study snack or taking a walk outside. You have to reward yourself for working hard.”
Upperclassmen alike have their own strategies to combat feeling burned out during the end of the school year. Especially seniors, who are fighting their “senioritis” as their graduation date gets closer and closer. After four years of highschool, many seniors have developed habits that allow them to focus on their school work while also enjoying activities outside of school.
Senior Natalie Bove explained, “I think just like making sure I have time for myself and taking that time to relax and destress, when I have the time, so I don’t feel overwhelmed when it comes to my extracurriculars and education.” When asked what advice she would give to other students, Bove discussed having the mentality of “work hard, play hard”.
While the Class of 2024 is busy making the most of their last month on campus, juniors are preparing to be the next senior class. With junior year being notoriously difficult, many students have found ways to stay on track when school speeds up and their motivation slows down.
Junior Mia Daly shared, “I think it is definitely hard because we have been in school for so long, but I think maintaining a routine is really important because it is easy to lose that especially after spring break. It is really easy to get off track but we are so close to the end and finishing strong is so important, especially during junior year.”
While it may be difficult to stay focused with summer not far from reach, many Campo students make sure to prioritize their academics and extracurriculars by sticking to the strategies that work for them.
