January 28, 2022 marked my one year anniversary of paying off my student loans . Reflecting back on choosing to pay off my student loans leaves me with several take a ways that I want to share with you! In September 2020 I decided to become debt free by utilizing the debt snowball method to pay off all my debt. Before this I had struggled to save and really understand basic financial principles. As a first-generation college student, I received a scholarship to attend undergrad for free, but the scholarship did not cover summers. During the summers I took out student loans to cover costs without paying interest rates or how much I was taking out. By the end of undergrad I had amassed a little under $17K. Fast forward to graduate school I received another scholarship that covered my education. At the time I was a teacher in a new very expensive city and I had missed the cutoff to have my paycheck last me throughout the summer. So, I decided to take out a loan for two summers to keep
It’s the week of Thanksgiving and everything you
could imagine is due or very close to being due! I remember being here as an
undergrad student; I always felt the most stress around this time. Now as a
doctoral student, this stress is gone because I have turned in everything
early and my semester is almost over. I figure someone reading this is
probably running around like a chicken with their head cut off so here are a few tips on how to beat the dreaded mid semester crunch.
Figure 1: This is a thumbnail of my latest YouTube video where I am sitting in my office looking at the camera with a confused look. I am wearing an orange floral top, with silver hoops, and my hair is short and curly.
First things first have you checked your grades?
Around this time, I find that many students do not know their grades and are
hoping for the best. While I appreciate the optimism, it is important that you
actually know your grades so that you can make informed decisions on your next
steps in case something does not go as planned.
Figure 2: This is a photo of a Red A plus on a piece of notebook paper. The A plus is circled.
That brings me to my next point of missing
assignments. Have you checked your learning management system i.e. Canvas,
Blackboard, D2L to ensure that all of your assignments have been accounted for?
The last thing you want to do is notify your professor that an assignment was
not counted after grades have posted when they will most likely be on vacation
or hard to contact. Ensure that all of your assignments are in NOW.
Figure
3: This is a photo of a question mark on a blue background enclosed in a box.
Communication is key folks. There is only so much
Academic Advising or Student Disability Services can do when you have not
communicated. No one is perfect and things do happen so do your part by letting
someone know immediately. Many times, I have seen students wait until week 13
of the semester before saying anything. Once this happens this typically turns
into the conversation that no one wants to hear.
Figure 4: This is a photo of a sign that says communication. There is a blue sky with white clouds in the background.
Taking a deep breath is something that we often forget around this time. With all of the hustle and bustle of the holidays sometimes, this creates more stress than we know. Remember to take a breath and center yourself. You cannot reach your goals unless you are taking care of yourself. As a teacher, I would often tell my students “I am NOT an Octopus!” This means that I have 2 arms, 2 legs, and 1 brain so if it does not get done oh well!
Figure 5: This is a photo of a multi-colored Octopus swimming in the ocean.
Are you feeling
the mid-semester crunch? Drop down in the comments and let me know what you are doing to stay on top of things. Also, be
sure to sign up for my new email subscriber list for an exclusive freebie! Check
out my latest video on the mid-semester crunch below!
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Mid-Semester Crunch
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