Springtime for G-Dubs

The global warming class I feared was not what I got, thanks to great faculty and my willingness to get over myself.

Well, it's officially Spring here at GW: the cherry trees have flowered (see my fellow blogger's post below for a great take on this iconic DC event!), the Department of State employees walking from the subway station to work have shed their overcoats, and 23rd Street has flooded.

Now that we're back from Spring break, the final stretch of the 2010-2011 Academic Year has officially begun! As hard as it can be to stay afloat during times that are so homework-, midterm- and paper-dense, there are ways to manage stress. Here are some more unorthodox ones I've been trying out this time:

Go With the Flow: To paraphrase the Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu, there are papers which must not be written, homework which must not be done, and tests which must not taken.
I'm not saying don't do the work! (That is a bad idea in just about every way I can think of.)

What I'm suggesting is that, in college--where curricula tend to emphasize more critical thinking and independence than in high school--you can very often turn a boring assignment into an interesting one, or an interesting one into one that's actually fun to write.

In my freshman year, I (like all GW students, regardless of AP Scores or High School English programs) had to take a University Writing Course. These teach the same skills, but each has a topic.

Now, no offense to environmentalists out there, but at first, I didn't feel too comfortable with the class topic I was stuck with--Climate Change.
Luckily, I was able to connect it to my core interest in conflict and security and completed an interesting research assignment that linked global climate issues to those of global security. My professor was great and very knowledgeable--by the end of the semester, I had learned  a lot about the topic and had become a lot more comfortable with it. At GW, we have a very diverse student body--both in terms of background and in terms of interests. By putting your own "spin" on those lengthy term papers, you can get the best of both worlds.

Take Frequent Breaks: We have the whole city (and campus) at our disposal--go to the museums on the weekend, or for a late-night walk around the monuments. (Or, for my fellow New Jersey denizens, one can always go the Gym, tan at GW alumni-owned facilities, or do laundry in the dorms themselves.)

Start Early: Funny, right? I'm trying to do this by beginning papers a month in advance. It probably won't work, but who knows?

--Adam

Questions, comments or concerns about how you'll manage stress around exam time in college, or about GW resources? Let me know at ash1290@gwmail.gwu.edu.