Here we are in the home stretch of the semester. With less than a month of classes left and 33 days left until graduation, it is unbelievable that the semester has flown by so fast.

Today is Nov. 16 and it leaves me pondering one major thing. Where did 2004 go? We have 45 days left for this year. I’m not complaining but it does leave me scratching my head and pondering (not that I need anything else to ponder).

This is the crunch time of the semester when professors attempt to cram in more information into our over-packed notebooks and soon to implode brains.

Many classes have tests to worry about and tests are getting thrown in left and right. I have no doubt that most dates on every syllabi have been changed and professors are scurrying to find days to turn in assignments and take tests to determine what your final grade should be, not what you, the student, thinks it ought to be.

As an upperclassman, I would like to pass along a bit of advice. Do not wait until the last minute to do anything. Turn off the PlayStation and television and focus on your studies. Avoiding procrastination is a guarantee-way to ensure that you will be back. Believe me, I should know ... I am the almighty queen of procrastination when it comes to cracking open a textbook. But not right now. I have relinquished my crown because I am focused on the next 33 days.

It takes lots of money, blood, sweat and tears to reach the end of bachelor life and receive that precious degree. Have fun in moderation. Look at it this way; you have your post-gradation life to have fun. Make sacrifices right now to graduate from college.

In the long run, you’ll be proud of the sacrifices you made to reach your goals.