End of Semester Time Management
The end of the semester puts pressure on TAs in many ways. In addition to your own research, your students feel pressure as finals approach, and thus they may demand more of your time and energy. However, the end of semester crunch can be made more bearable with some planning.

Make sure your students understand end of semester expectations.
As much as you are able, let your students know about the format of final exams and/or projects for your course. Let them know if these requirements will be cumulative or only cover recent material. Knowing the format and expectations may help alleviate student stress as they prepare for these exams.

Also, review plagiarism guidelines with students regarding finals. Make sure, as you, hopefully, did all semester, that students know exactly what constitutes cheating, and what is expected of them so that there is no gray area for them on the day of the final.

Often final exams may take place in a different location than where class normally meets. Make sure that students understand where and when their exam will take place and remind them several times of such changes to minimize the number of students who will be confused when finals time comes.

Also, if students will be expected to hand in a final paper or project during the finals period, make sure that they understand where and when to submit this work. If it will be submitted electronically, make sure that students have a way to know that their work was received rather than running into problems later.

Be clear and consistent with your grading policies.
At the end of the semester, students may become concerned about their grades. To make up for lower grades earlier in the semester, they may ask to turn in late work, or request to complete work for extra credit. Make sure that your grading policies are clear and consistent before the end of semester rush. If you have agreed to accept late work, then do so; however, do not feel pressured to bend the rules for students who want to make drastic changes in their grades. Be fair, but also remember that students are responsible for their work throughout the semester, and that their grades are earned, not just given.

Encourage your students to manage time well.
If a large end of semester project will come due during the final weeks of class, encourage your students to avoid procrastination. Remind them that a little bit of work every day or every week adds up over time. Instead of preparing their final paper completely in the days before it is due, help your students to spread the work out over a larger span of time.

Plan ahead to help your students study for final exams.
If possible, hold an in-class review session during the last day of class. This will allow students to get their questions answered without having to alter their schedule, and will begin to give you a feeling for how prepared your students are for the final.

Furthermore, plan ahead to hold review sessions to help students cover material. Rather than having many different appointments with students who want extra help with studying, plan a review session or two to collectively review course material with your students. A review session may include a series of planned questions, involve a list of suggested problems distributed in advance where students choose which questions to discuss, or be an open question and answer session. You should solicit suggestions as to the timing of your review session so that you accommodate as many students as possible. For students who cannot attend your review session, you can help them to schedule a peer group session to study together.

Make sure to use other available resources as you plan to help students study. If other TAs are assigned to the same course as you, you may choose to cross-advertise review sessions to accommodate more students’ schedules without requiring an overwhelming time commitment on your part. It is also likely that you will find resources from previous semesters of your course online. Make an effort to collect such review materials and alert students where to find them as they study.

Clarify grading expectations.
Especially if you are teaching for another professor, make sure to clarify the amount of grading you will be expected to do, and understand the time commitment involved. Make sure that your standards are consistent with those of your professor and with other TAs for your course. If you will be expected to do a lot of grading, don’t necessarily expect yourself to grade it all at once; grade in small batches as needed.

Schedule time to get your own work done.
Your teaching is important, but your research is your primary focus. Despite student demands, make sure to plan ahead for uninterrupted time to keep up with your own deadlines, rather than neglecting your work for the sake of others. Remember that you must continue to make progress on your research to maintain your appointment as a TA.

Schedule time away from work.
Although your students’ needs and your own work will most likely require a large amount of time and energy at the end of the semester, remember to take some time to relax as well. If you reach the point of exhaustion or become sick, it will be even harder to assist students or make progress on your research. Make sure to be aware of your own needs and to take care of yourself as you push towards the end of the year. If needed, contact your advisor, department chair, or dean for help. Also, the Rutgers counseling center is readily available to discuss any confidential concerns you may have during this stressful time of the year. You can visit http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~rccc to learn about the scope of their services.