We are at the point of no return, my fellow students.

The date to drop a class and still receive a “w” on your transcript passed already this academic calendar. That means whatever classes you may begrudgingly drag yourself to now, you know the ones that force you to contemplate what exactly you are doing with your life and why you are here, are yours to see out to the end.

The fact that you didn’t drop classes still on your schedule means one of a few things. You either: feel great about your prospects of getting a good grade, think you can pull your grade up to a better one, can’t drop below a certain amount of hours or just simply forgot.

Whichever category you fall into, the clock is ticking down to the same finish for us all.

We will be in the last week of classes in a little over a month. So, if you’re like me, it’s that time of semester to lose the remote, turn the notifications on the phone to silent and choose assignments over procrastination; good thing the University’s motto is People Creating Possibilities.

In my 4+ years on campus, spent mostly in Peltier Hall, I have had many, many different professors; none of which have ever turned down a request from me to meet with them in their office for a rough draft consultation, or have a conversation on something we are reading at the time. I can’t speak for every building on campus, but if they are anything like the English department, they will be more than happy to help you achieve the best grade you deserve.

That’s because at Nicholls, we are more than just paying customers. Yes, tuition is paid (whether by parents, yourself, scholarships or loans, someone is paying for you to be here) and we are given a piece of paper at the end if we do all that is required, but professors look at us as something way more than that. They want us to be engaged, they want to help you gain knowledge and believe it or not, they don’t want you to fail.

If, on the off chance, you do get stuck with a less-than-accommodating professor, there are options for you to still get a respectable grade in classes you are struggling with. The obvious course of action is to befriend a classmate, or enlist the services of a friend who has done well in a class you need help you with (I have found that food is a great bribing tool for this).
If you are still unsuccessful in finding assistance, the tutoring center located in Peltier offers help for $25 a subject per semester. This may seem steep, considering we are at the back end of the semester, but think about the headaches that fee will save you when you bring home an A instead of a C.

Also, the writing center offers another set of eyes on those papers you have waited until the last few days to start. Whichever avenue you choose, the help is out there on campus for you; all you have to do is ask.

At this point, it is more important to set aside any pride, any false sense of self that prevents you from openly seeking the support possible to improve your grade. Your education is your choice, so why not choose to attack these last four weeks with an enthusiasm usually reserved for weekends and parties?

Just think, when you are doing whatever it is you choose to do with your summer free time, would you rather fight off negative emotions when thinking back to what you could have done to get a better grade, or would you rather feel the muscles in your face raise the corners of your mouth to a smile when you see that A appear on Banner when you check your final grade?
It’s time to burn the midnight oil and have a strong finish to this semester. Who knows, you may even shock yourself at the things you can accomplish.