As the daylight dwindles down and as the holiday season revs up, college students begin to understand the true meaning of panic.

Panic! I am a freshman! Panic! We are approaching the end of first semester! Panic! We have these things called finals! Panic! We need to write, write, write! Panic! We need to study, study, study! But most of the panic is centered around the fact that we need to remain sane through it all!

With the taste of home and turkey still in the mouths of college students back from Thanksgiving break, only three weeks remain in the semester. Thanksgiving, to me, seemed like a little teaser, coyly saying, “This is what you get to come home to IF you can get through these next three weeks” (See what Finals Week is truly like as told by Buddy in the movie Elf).

I am lucky enough to have a wonderful, warm home to come back to, but I think I can speak for all when saying breaks are a much needed rest–and Winter break is the quintessential, coveted break for college students. However, we all know that there are papers to write and finals to study for in the short amount of time until Winter Break. It is important to do the best you can and bear down on school.

I yell out a massive “call to arms” for studying. To equip ourselves with countless pens and paper, fully charged laptops, and coffee pulsing through our veins (Helloooooo Motley!). The short push will be worth it when checking finals grades when snuggled up with a mug of hot-coco and loved pet. It will be worth it when we are home.

So rush to the Writing Center! Go to the professor’s office hours! Lock yourself up in a study room! Don’t procrastinate (there’s an app for that)! Don’t panic…Just focus! Make yourself proud! Make your parents proud! Your aspirations, your future, your career will thank you for all of the effort you put in now. You can do it, I believe in you (and so does Ryan Gosling).