Looking Ahead

By Assitant Editor:P. Kaibah Robinson

Late April on the Adams State campus always feels like a collective exhale. Snowdrifts are lighter and have melted into puddles on The Green, and rehearsals for graduation photos are already popping up in the quads. Students trade stories about summer road trips, first big paychecks, and the luxury of finally sleeping past 7 a.m. Yet amid this spring fever, it is crucial to remember that our academic race is not finished. Sports psychologists describe a “let-down effect” when a runner eases up just before the finish line, convinced the victory is secured. We risk the same fate when we mentally check out in late April. A six-page paper can start to feel optional, a quick review session turns into an hours-long binge on Netflix, and an important quiz date vanishes behind moving day plans. The danger, of course, is swapping a few carefree afternoons now for a final grade that will shadow us all summer.

Excitement itself is not the enemy; distraction is. Instead of fighting the buzz, students can channel it into momentum that helps them get through the semester’s last hurdles. One strategy is to visualize post-final freedom: imagine the exact instant you close your laptop after submitting your last exam. That burst of relief can act as a motivational carrot every time you sit down to complete another citation or crunch a stubborn data set. A micro milestone calendar also keeps celebrations in check. When every quiz, reflection post, and group presentation appears on a single sheet, the unfinished boxes staring back at you make it hard to start the party too soon. Pairing that with short study “sprints”—working hard for fifty minutes and resting for ten—mirrors interval training and ensures productivity without burnout.

Finishing the semester strong now protects the carefree summer everyone craves. No one wants incomplete assignments or lingering financial aid forms clouding a fun summer vacation. Locking in a solid GPA also keeps scholarships, graduate school applications, and coaching recommendations on track, often opening doors students have not even discovered yet. Nevertheless, vigilance is still required. Career Services continues to post last-minute internships in recreation management and community wellness. Financial aid portals for the next academic year open in mid-May. Staying alert to these notices can save both time and money.

Several practical steps make the homestretch easier. Begin de-cluttering this week; donate clothes you will never wear again and return library books early. When finals arrive, a lighter dorm eases stress and speeds up checkout. Create an accountability pact with a classmate to swap study guides or quiz each other over coffee; peer pressure can be a powerful antidote to procrastination. Finally, balance the mental grind with physical resets. The Rex Activity Center offers free late-night yoga sessions during finals week, and a calm mind retains far more facts than a frazzled one.

The finish line is in sight, Grizzlies, and a strong kick over these final few weeks is the surest way to greet June without regrets. Grind now, celebrate later, and enter summer break free of deadlines, incompletes, and last-minute paperwork. Whether you are facing your first collegiate finals or your last stroll across the commencement stage, remember that an unwavering focus today creates a

transcript—and a summer—that roars as loudly as our beloved mascot. Good luck, stay locked in, and we will see one another on the sunny side of success.