March 18, 2025
Welcome back from what I hope was a restful break. Like many of you, I got out of town for a few days and tried to unplug from news, deadlines, email, and the rest. I didn’t entirely succeed, but I managed to mostly take a break.
The next six weeks are going to fly by and end with a flurry of papers and exams. Outside of class, there is endless news, much of it stress-inducing. And through all of it, life continues to happen. There will be a lot to enjoy and celebrate over the rest of the spring, but not all of the news will be good and not everything will go as you hope.
A few tips to help make March and April manageable:
- Make a schedule of when you have exams, final papers, and other assignments. Then schedule when you will work on each. Don’t save everything for the last crunch, make a plan and space out the work.
- Talk to your professors early and often. Education is a cooperative enterprise, we’re in this together. Let us know if you have questions or are facing challenges. Not every deadline will be extended, and you get the grades you earn, but let us help you succeed.
- Lean on your community. A few times over the past month or so I’ve seen communities come together to comfort someone who faced an incredible loss, to celebrate a milestone birthday, and to commiserate with someone who was unexpectedly laid off. Show up for others, and know that others will show up for you.
- Get rest, take walks, put down your phone, and give your brain and body a break. You can’t be all on, all the time. If you don’t take care of yourself, you can’t take care of anything else.
- Remember that GW has entire teams devoted to your mental and physical health. Reach out to GW Cares if you need help.
- Let me know if you want to talk. My schedule can be tricky, but I will always make time for you.
Onward into spring.