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Dec. 5, 2022
Endgame!
The last week of classes! Congratulations! You made it!
You have come so far! Way to go! For 15 weeks, you have attended lectures, read texts
and other materials, interacted with your peers and your professor, and demonstrated
your growing understanding through various assessments. Amazing! You have risen to
the challenge every day for these 15 weeks. That is over 100 days of persistent effort!
Take a moment. Celebrate. Buy yourself that donut or a ridiculous caramel latte with
extra whipped cream or whatever feels like a treat. You persevered for 15 weeks and
now we are down to the final days, the final laps. Awesome! You got this!
In any long race or on any long journey, you reach a point near the end where your
role changes. You enter a different phase. It is no longer about endurance or keeping
something extra in the tank for uncertain days ahead. It becomes all about the push
to the finish. It is about giving everything to make the most of all you have invested.
You want to do your best. These final days are just days, like every other day along
the way, but by virtue of their position, they count the most. What are your plans?
What is your endgame?
Now is the time to focus and put in the time to prepare for finals; put in the time
to finish up those papers and projects. Now is probably not the time to start some
other big project in life. Your mind may try to play tricks on you. You may suddenly
think it is the perfect time to deep clean your dorm room, start that bathroom remodel,
master a new online game, or dive into a new hobby. Distractions seem especially attractive
when the task before us seems daunting. Don’t give in to that deception. Instead,
just put together a plan for finals and take care of yourself. Get good rest. Eat smart, drink smart. Take
quality breaks, but maintain your focus and your purpose. Make these final days count.
Keep your priorities straight. Finish strong.
When taking that quality break, take a moment to reflect on your journey. You are
wrapping up 15 weeks of challenging travels. How did it go? What could you have done
differently? Take more credits? Take less? Study more? Be more social or less social?
Work more or work less? Do your future self a favor and make some mental notes about
what worked well and what you could be doing better if you are honest with yourself.
How can you improve your practices and habits to better reach your goals? We aren’t
talking about or thinking about next semester yet, but now you will have more clarity
about opportunities for improvement than you will a month from now. Take a moment
to invest in your future self with an honest reflection on your journey over the last
15 weeks.
Two things to do:
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Register. We kicked off Registration Week this past Saturday. Almost 3,000 students have signed up for spring classes. You
want to make sure to sign up too! Register for classes before this Saturday to qualify
for prizes and exclusive gear. Check out the link and get it done!
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Prepare for Finals. They begin next Monday. Here’s the schedule. Make your plan.
Have a great week and a great weekend. It is your last weekend during the semester.
Invest your time in your strong finish. You got this. You are doing amazing!
As always, don’t hesitate to send me your comments and suggestions. I am at obguthrie@alaska.edu.
— Owen Guthrie, vice chancellor for student affairs and enrollment management
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