Strategies to Help You Manage an End of Semester Final Project
Since the end of the spring semester is quickly approaching, many students realize that they have a massive final project in a course that they were expected to work on all semester but have barely even started. If this sounds like you or a friend, do not panic. There is still time left in the semester to fix this problem.
My first suggestion is that you take a few minutes to thoroughly read the assignment details. Take notes and make sure you understand the parameters of the assignment and the expectations. Review the course website, slides, and any additional documents that may explain the assignment in depth.
Then, break down the assignment into smaller parts. For example, if this is a research paper and presentation, your steps might be as follows:
Step 1: Research potential articles
Step 2: Read them and take notes
Step 3: Create an outline for the paper
Step 4: Write the introduction and body paragraphs 1 and 2
Step 5: Write body paragraphs 3, 4, and 5
Step 6: Write the conclusion
Step 7: Format according to the required citation format
Step 8: Add proper citations after quotes/summaries
Step 9: Create works cited
Step 10: Edit paper, read through 2 times
Step 11: Create a slide deck
Step 12: Practice presentation x1
Step 13: Edit the slide deck and create talking points index cards
Step 14: Practice presentation, again
Now, make your best guess for how much time each step will need; always overestimate. If you think “step 1: research potential articles” will take you a maximum of 3 hours, write down 4.5 or even 5.
Now, look at an “average” week of class. Record how many hours per day you can allocate toward your work. Allocate an appropriate number of hours towards each day while still considering your hours in class, other assignments, and plans you may have. So, maybe on Mondays you have three 50-minute lectures and a 3-hour lab, so you do not have as many hours to complete work compared to a Thursday when you have one single 75-minute long lecture. Consider that during weekends you could easily work for 4 or 5 hours on the assignment.
Now, hold some of this time for your regular weekly assignments. Put time aside for readings, regular quizzes, or homework assignments. All of your time should not be allocated toward this final project. If you have weekly homework due on Thursday for a class, then you should not be using all your time on Tuesdays or Wednesdays for this long-term project.
Then compare the number of hours you wrote down to complete all steps to the number of maximum hours total you have available.
Finally, create a concrete plan of what step and how many hours you are going to complete each and every day until the submission date. Having structure will help you know where to start and the goal of the hours you are spending on the project each day.
Pro Tip: Always plan to finish your assignment a full 24 hours before it is actually due. This way if you end up needing a few extra hours to complete the assignment you have time. Or, if you have technical issues and are unable to submit your work you do not need to be concerned about submitting late as you have another day to resolve the issue. This 24-hour grace period will one day be a savior in a pinch, and you will be grateful for planning this in advance.
Pro Tip: Make sure to look at the academic calendar at your institution. There may be built in reading days where you do not have class so you can have extra time to study before finals start. This means these days you will have more hours to complete work for this assignment.
Pro Tip: Confirm the exact day and time you need to submit the assignment. Now that so many assignments are submitted online, the difference between 8:00am and 11:59pm could matter, or you may accidentally submit the assignment late just by not being aware of the precise time the submission was due.
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