Exams are around the corner and grades will soon make their way into your inboxes, but Winter Break is only a couple days away, so stay focused and finish strong.

As the sun sets earlier and the temperature drops, it’s easy to get a little too comfortable beneath the sheets of your bed and feel less motivated to grind out your final projects and study for your upcoming exams. It’s easy to shut your textbook midway through a study session to go down the hall and chat with friends until check-in. It’s easy to create a new tab on your web browser to watch Netflix before dinner. Throughout our days here, we are all given many choices to make, and the impact of those choices may seem insignificant in the moment, but don’t dismiss the influence each of them will have in long-run.

Nonetheless, although these last couple of days are important academically, don’t neglect the time to hang out with your friends or head to the MAC to play a quick game of squash or hoops. In the presence of exams, times can become stressful; freeing yourself up here and there or catching up with a peer can help you refresh your mind and allow you to stay focused on the things that are important.

For Seniors: don’t let the anxiety of early decisions change how you act or function daily. It won’t have an effect on the outcome, but it will on those around you. These are your last exams, finish strong and finish proud.

Upper-mids and Lower-mids: stay focused and study hard for these exams. You will only regret it if you don’t put in your utmost effort.

Preps: don’t be nervous. Although exams may seem daunting, they really just assess how well you’ve understood the material thus far.

To all ’cats: Remember every decision you make each day has an impact on who you are. If you want to see friends, watch TV, shoot hoops, take a nap, play video games, or go to the snackbar, go do it, but keep track of the time and your priorities because it’s always easier to take the easy route. Stay strong.