If you’ve been skipping out on homework these last few weeks, telling yourself “I’ll do it over break,” think again. This isn’t Winter Break. It’s Thanksgiving Break. You’ve only got a week off from classes, or maybe even less. Not to mention, the majority of that time will most likely be spent either eating with family, chatting with family, or passing out with family after too much turkey. But even though this holiday seems to go by quicker than an episode of “Gossip Girl”, you can still make the most of the few days you’ll get off. Thanksgiving break can be the perfect time to play a little catch-up before finals.
Rather than being overly ambitious, and planning on doing all of November’s homework in that one week at home, set realistic expectations so you don’t end up giving up on work by Thursday. Here are a few rules for your at-home study sessions:
DO: Photocopy a few chapters of your textbook. Before you leave campus to head home, check your class syllabi for assignments you’ve missed or want to brush up on before finals. In between family gatherings and preparing meals, there will be at least a few moments where you have some free time. Take advantage of them by going over these chapters and other assignments, away from Grandma and the turkey. Or, pull out the pages while you wait for that homemade pie to bake.
DON’T: Bring home all four textbooks for your classes and plan to read 100+ pages in each. You’ll not only overwhelm yourself, you’ll never get it all done and will end up leaving home post-break feeling anything but accomplished. Instead, bring home just one textbook, or just photocopied chapters from a few textbooks—enough to keep you busy when the cousins aren’t around, but not so much that you won’t finish your homework to-do list. Decide what assignments are most important to complete ASAP, and what can wait until the week after break. Leave the rest of your work at school.
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DO: Make time for studying. Not only will it most likely be a much-needed escape from family time, but you’ll be more focused and productive. Find a time that works for you. If you’re traveling to Grandma’s that afternoon, wake up early to read a few chapters, or crack open the textbook for an hour before you go to sleep that night.
DON’T: Try to study while everyone is watching football in your living room. This is a surefire way to not get work done. Organic Chemistry will definitely fall on the back burner while everyone is cheering about the last interception. And that goes for any distractions: bringing your laptop to family gatherings in the living room will only get you so far in those six pages you have to type on Greek Mythology. You’ll probably just end up getting frustrated that you can’t concentrate with all the chatter, or Grandma will be hurt you’d rather play with technology than tell her about that new boy you’ve been hanging out with.
DO: make flashcards to bring home. They’re compact, and perfect for traveling home with instead of a textbook, or entire notebook. You’ll also be one step ahead of the game with the perfect study tool when finals roll around.
DON’T: start all your work the Sunday of Thanksgiving Break. Sure, you tell yourself you’ll get up early to get it all done, but when you wake up and stare at the mound of work you’ve left for yourself, you’ll probably be more likely to go eat turkey and stuffing leftovers than open a textbook.
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DO: a little studying every day. Twenty or thirty minutes a day is much more doable than three hours on Sunday. You won’t dread the study time as much if you know it won’t last so long. It’s also easier to find a twenty-minute, rather than three-hour slot in between family visits. Break up your study sessions into chunks so it’s not as overwhelming.
DON’T: ask your family members to help you study when they’re trying to socialize. They’d rather hear about updates on your life, than quiz you on Anthropological theories. A game of help-the-older-cousin-study with flashcards isn’t as fun as you’d think.
DO: look over your finals schedule and start to map out a study plan. Write down what still needs to be read, or reread for finals. Make a list with the date and time of each final to help to wrap your head around which tests to study for first. Check if you’re going to have an hour or two in between exams to look over notes one last time. Once you’ve figured out your finals schedule, decide what your finals-plan-of-action is. Make sure you know if you have so much to study you need to start going over readings the first week in December, or if you’ve got a good enough grasp of the material, you’ll only need a few hours to go over notes.
DON’T: pretend you are going to start studying for them. You’ve probably got enough on your plate (no Thanksgiving pun intended) catching up on last-minute assignments to even bother going over old notes and readings. Save that for the reading days before finals week. Plus, whatever beginning-of-semester material you look over now will probably need another read-through before finals anyway. Use Thanksgiving break not as a finals study-sesh, but to make sure you’re up to date, or to catch up in your classes. This is supposed to be a break after all. Use the week to relax before the end-of-semester-crunch, but keep reality in check by taking home any necessary work, and following through by actually getting it done, of course.
Things to do BEFORE Thanksgiving Break to stay on top of classes:
- Do your best to keep up with assignments from now on, so the week of break can be used for catching up on notes from days you were sick, or readings you missed on a week you were swamped with work.
- Visit your professor’s office hours to go over any questions you have about material or past exams and assignments. It’s better to clear things up now, than the day before a final.
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Work hard the week before break. By getting all your work from that week done, you’ll have more time for catch-up (or relaxing) while at home.