November can be a stressful time of term, and Craig Maltais, a fourth year student studying French and Concurrent Education, knows that well. This week he shares his experience as a student in the Department of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures and offers some great tips for getting through the essay workload!
It’s that time of year! It’s the grind. It’s the final countdown. The Halloween festivities are over, and now all that is left is the bright light of freedom at the end of the semester. All there is between now and then are those final projects. For students of the humanities, that probably means taking on a number of long essays that need to be written.
For a lot of programs, the most stressful time of the semester is exam time, but that isn’t necessarily the case for humanities students. For us, the final essays can count for the bulk of our final grade which places us under a lot of stress. Unfortunately, that stress is added to the weekly routine of class and other activities. But, with all the being said, it’s something that we’ve come to expect. After all, we are humanities students!
So instead of getting down on ourselves because of all the work that we have to do this month, let’s take a look at the good things that come from essay period!
First of all I want to point out that for some of us, having big essays that are worth a lot more of our final grade means that we might not have an exam for that class! So knowing once that essay is done you can kick up your boots and relax for the first time since August is a great feeling and definitely something to work towards!
Another one of the greatest things about studying in the humanities is that not only do we get to learn from some of the greatest literary works in history, but we also get to write! Reading is fun, but writing is where we get to be ourselves and explore the things that we are passionate about. In upper year classes, especially, writing becomes a sort of academic freedom. Being able to express ourselves is a great feeling and relating it back to the subjects that we love is why we are here!
Now we do have to acknowledge that the creative process isn’t always easy, and sometimes no words come to mind to fill up that blank Word document. Do NOT worry, because it happens to all of us. Here are couple of tips to get the creative juices flowing once again!
- Start early! Giving yourself plenty of time to write your paper is essential not only to keeping stress levels to a minimum, but also to getting a good grade. Once in a while, things get pushed off to the last minute. It is university after all! However, making an effort to start these assignments well in advance helps the final product, gives you a chance to overcome writers block, to do extra research, and to edit, and edit, and edit again!
- Sometimes taking a break for a few hours is another great way find some inspiration, or to boost your motivation! If that doesn’t seem to work and things still don’t seem to be going your way with the essay, there are always other places you can go for support. Sometimes having a quick conversation with your Professor or Teaching Assistant is a great way to stimulate your mind in terms of what you should be writing about. Don’t forget that our instructors are here to help us.
- Additionally, Brock University offers a variety of different programs that can help students with homework, assignments, and essays. Luckily for us, the James A. Gibson Library offers essay writing help.This service provides tips and tricks to master the art of writing essays. All of the formatting and proper citing is something that adds that perfect final touch to our essays. This can come in really handy in improving your paper’s grade from a B to an A.
- Another great place to look for some extra help is A-Z Learning Services. They offer a variety of writing workshops that range from creating a strong thesis statement to mastering MLA formatting.
November can be a tough month. But work hard, and believe in yourself!
Drink that large coffee! Buckle down, and write something that you’re proud of. We are Humanities Students! Essays are what we do!
- Bring it on!
