Just two weeks left before the semester is over, and, for me, it’s two weeks from graduation. At the end of my career at Iowa State, I want to share a few tips on how to get through that last semester for those who may be graduating in the spring or soon thereafter. Speaking from experience, the last semester is by far the most trying for those who like to be active in all the side activities available to college students.

Tip 1 — Don’t take on too many activities; there are many pursuits that will be asking for time out of your busy schedule you don’t know about yet. But honestly, throughout most of your career at Iowa State taking 17 credits while balancing a part-time job and two or three clubs is just a way of life.

However, when you are graduating at the end of the semester, you have several things that require your attention, mainly finding a job once you’ve graduated.

There is the typical paperwork and financial aid exit interviews that will require an hour or two. Ultimately, try to take a light class load and let yourself enjoy the organizations you’ve spent four years helping run as just a member.

Tip 2 — Don’t give up the things you love to do. Just because it’s important to scale back a little bit to account for putting together resumes and contacting potential employers doesn’t mean you should not take that badminton class you’ve wanted to take for four years or neglect the clubs you’ve been a member of since your freshman year.

I might suggest not taking a leadership position in those organizations. Remember that quality time with friends is always something necessary; trust me, you’ll need it to relieve the incredible amounts of stress that come with graduation. Thankfully, I timed my graduation semester with the release of “Halo 2,” which does wonders for letting out aggressive impulses that won’t serve you well in a job interview.

Tip 3 — At all costs, avoid graduating the same semester a presidential election will be decided. This is especially true for political science majors who feel somehow that the result of the election will determine their rise or fall, this being before they even graduate.

Now, it might not be so bad if your guy wins, but, if you invest time and effort into getting someone elected and he or she loses, you can take a week out of your schedule for the lying in bed with the tissues and favorite household pet to keep you company. This, of course, all being done while replaying the victory-turned-concession speech over and over again.

Don’t worry, there will be more elections in the future that you can get all worked up about.

Tip 4 — Finally, don’t let classes slip under the radar screen. Just because you are in your last semester doesn’t mean you know everything. It is important to keep your eye on the ball in terms of grades.

The worst thing you can do is allow your final semester’s GPA to slip. Potential employers will weed out your resume before the interviews have even started. To prevent this, keep doing what you’ve done so successfully up to this point, since, if you’re graduating, you’ve obviously been doing something right.

So there it is: my mark on the rest of the ISU student body; my legacy, if you will. Heed these tips, and you’ll coast through graduation as if it were only another semester at college.

Not that taking on more will keep you from the coveted job you’ve been working so hard to get, but you will certainly be able to grab it with a lot less stress.