You’re probably sitting there in the middle of an 8 a.m. class, Walking 372: The Stride, with that glazed look of boredom washing over your face as you watch this tiny black print shift in and out of focus.

You’re also probably wondering why in the world you returned from Guatemala, New Orleans, the beach, Downtown Grill and Brewery, your lonely apartment or wherever you decided to spend those carefree but fleeting days of Spring Break. And, as you drool and reminisce, the gravity of what lies ahead is probably starting to sink into the lower part of your abdomen like a double shot of whiskey mixed with sandwich spread.

For many, the end of Spring Break is one of the most depressing times of the year.

First, it’s hard to go back to Presidential Café or the Strip when you’re used to mommy’s cooking just like you like. And then there’s waking up early with that soggy, why-did-I-stay-up-until-four-on-a-Monday-morning-playing-the-Wii-when-I-should-have-been-studying-for-my-exam feeling to which we must now acclimate. In short, every horrible aspect of college living is now back in full swing.

But what usually grinds on students the most is the enormous amount of work that follows the end of Spring Break. And we never see it coming. It slowly and quietly accumulates during the first half of the Spring Semester, and then it explodes like a bag of bricks to the face when we realize how much time we wasted running naked through the streets instead of spending an hour or two every day trying to catch up on our classes.

Thus, many students find themselves so loaded with work after Spring Break that they’d rather give up, hit the sauce and watch their hard-earned grades dwindle away. Many questions arise: “What good will studying do now? I haven’t been to class yet, why start going this late in the game? Chris, how much do you charge per paper?”

The answers to these questions are: a lot, because you still have time to bring up your grade and see me in the back alley at seven, respectively. In short, though there are only six weeks left in the semester, if you calm down, take a few moments to organize your thoughts (and the rest of your semester work load), focus and have some cash for a few late-night coffee boosts, good grades are still in sight.

First, you have to keep your cool, unless of course, that 30-page manuscript with 45 sources over the liver and all of its uses is due tomorrow, and you haven’t even started checking out books. Freak out as you see necessary. But for most students, that paper is still at least a couple days off. Take a breather and calm your nerves.

Next, you might want to organize your work load (No, this doesn’t take a few days. Just sit down and do it!). Buy a calendar or a small organizer and write down all those critical papers, projects, presentations and exams – just the big ones that will largely impact your grade.

Many times, the problem isn’t so much the amount of work that we face; rather it’s the amount of time we’ve lost. That’s why you’ll probably need to prioritize. Pulling a D- in Thermodynamics up to a C+ or B+ is probably a priority for a civil engineer, unless you’re trying to shoot the moon. For me, I like to do things that are more difficult during the day when I’m focused and leave the easier things, like column-writing, until those coffee-saturated, early-morning hours.

Finally, you’re going to have to put some elbow grease into it. There’s absolutely no way around it, but a little hard work can go a little way. And a lot will go that much further. If you think the distractions of roommates or parties are your problem, head down to the library or a coffee shop or study in groups in one particular dorm room or apartment.

And study at least a couple days early. Cramming can only go so far, unless you’re a super genius, but I have yet to meet another of my kind.

Of course, it’s hard to cram when you’re moving in on graduation and have yet to finish all your general education requirements; hence, now’s a good time to think about summer school. Moreover, many students are readying themselves for the GRE, MCAT or LSAT. If your work load isn’t too bad, I’d suggest getting on the ball with those tests, especially since the GRE is scheduled to become slightly more difficult next fall.

All of this is not to say that the rest of the semester will be boring, lifeless and (gasp) educational. You’ve still got weekends. And the end of the semester is only six weeks away – three weeks less than what you’ve already endured. So, put in the time the next few weeks, and the future may not seem as dire as you originally predicted.