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Now is the time of the semester when there should be wandering breaded man with sandwich board signs that say “the End is Nigh” walking the campus. Because this is when the race cars reach the final stretch and then finals are upon us. Are you ready? Because the end is truly nigh and there is no stopping it.

This is the time when projects that have been put off all semester long come due. This is the time when all that make up work that has been stacking high needs to be complete. It is the time when reaping what you sow becomes more than just a clichéd metaphor.

For some there are only three weeks left, others it is four, either way with the frantic pace of college life that is really nothing more than a few blinks and yawns and this curtain is coming down. The final scene has began but are all the actors in their places? Are you?

For many students these days, the natural instinct and tendency is to put off for tomorrow what could be done today. Why work so hard when there is still so much fun to be had and still plenty of time to buckle down in the next few weeks? It all goes back to that old fable about ants and grasshoppers. Here is a recap for those of you who don’t remember it. The ants worked hard all autumn to be ready for the coming winter while the grasshopper played. When winter came, it wasn’t such a good time to be a grasshopper. Well, the first snows have fallen on the river valley that encompasses Missouri Western State University.

The problem with procrastinating at this time is that it creates a bottle neck effect of work in your life that could double the stress you have to endure. All of your classes have something that has to be done well at the end and they all usually come due in the same period of time, a time when you should be studying for your final exams. Instead of methodically tackling one project at a time and getting them out of the way most students just wait until the end and then face the Herculean task of academically cleaning the Aegean stables. This is how kids crack.

So this semester, spare yourself the headache. Buckle down now and put your head into the wind as you finish your final yards in this race called education. It doesn’t have to be a mad house; it doesn’t have to be a final sprint. You could just keep up the stride and cruise through the finish line with good marks and your head held high. The choice is yours, just remember that the end is nigh.

So, it is that time when you find yourself in the office of your advisor, and you are looking at your plan and realizing that you need to pick up some more hours than you thought. You want to do something that will be fun and educational and maybe help you to be more involved with the campus. You want something challenging. You want something that makes you a part of the greater whole.

You realize that it is just a few days past Veterans Day, and you think of all the soldiers out there and you feel this patriotic fervor wash over you. You want to be a patriot and you want to serve your country. So you decide that you are going to get involved in ROTC. Cool. Considering it was recently released that 75 percent of the nation’s youth could enlist in the service because they were either too fat, too stupid or too criminal, more college kids getting into officers training surely is a great thing. That is, if you’re into it.

The military is not for everyone.

But wait, there is something else you can do. Something just as patriotic. After all, what is more patriotic than the truth? When Superman first leapt onto the scene in 1938 he stood for three things: truth , justice and the American way! Remember what Superman was in his private life? He was Clark Kent: ace reporter for the Daily Planet. He was a journalist. You could be one too.

Talk to your adviser about it. Say, “I want to be a part of the Griffon News team,” because now is the time that you can get involved with the eyes and ears of the university. Now is a time when you can seek out the truth. You can be a part of a team that creates a weekly published college newspaper. You can enjoy the fun of meeting new people and interviewing them. You can get into college activities and take pictures. You can rub shoulders with the power players of the university and ask them uncomfortable questions. You can fight for truth, justice and the American way!

This is a call to arms. If you think those things are still important then find your way to the far side of the second floor of Eder Hall. Find the glass enclosed office with a sign that says: “Don’t feed the animals!” and walk through the door and say I want to join the fight. It is time to make your mark.

It’s that time of year again when students start lining up outside professors’ offices to sign up for advisement. If this doesn’t sound like something you are doing, then you are already behind.

Though it may seem early, after midterms every semester, students need to set up times to meet with their advisors to start planning classes for next semester.

It’s really important to have a plan from the beginning. Even freshmen should have a general idea about their future college careers. If you go in to your first advisement knowing what you want your major to be, then it will make the next four to five years easier to plan for. If you still aren’t sure what you want to major in, then make sure to take general education classes that can apply to any degree. Make a goal to have a major chosen before you start your sophomore year. If you wait any longer than that, you may run into issues some seniors are facing now…they hoped to graduate this semester and suddenly there is a class or two they still need.

Also, start thinking about your financial situation. Is all your financial aid set for next semester? You can use the Banner system to check your financial aid status to make sure you have everything prepared for the upcoming semester. You can also use Banner to check if you still owe anything on this semester’s bill, any holds on your account and to find out who your advisor is.

Think ahead, sit down and plan out every class that you can and when you think you want to take them, then meet with your advisor to make sure you have everything straight. That’s what they are there for: to advise you. Oh, and to give you your PIN so you can register for those classes you want to take.