The deadline had been extended. My research was completed. My outline was scratched out on a scrap of paper. Yet when the time came to drag myself into the dungeon of the Durham computer labs to write a paper that had spent the weekend hanging over my head, my motivation instinct was nowhere to be found. I could not be moved.

I’m pretty certain there’s a scientific theory that examines how the length of time before finals is inversely proportionate to student motivation. If this theory truly exists, it would explain the phenomenon of when it’s time to start kicking our studies into high gear, most students are ready to drop kick their books over Jack Trice stadium.

How does a responsible student stay motivated? A very good question, and, thank goodness, not one that is very likely to show up on an essay exam anytime soon.

The threat of bad grades is enough reason for some people to keep grinding their noses. However, for students who aren’t striving to stay eligible or maintain a certain grade point for an honor society or scholarship, this method of motivation may not be enough.

It’s easy to discount grades at this point of the semester. You may decide you don’t care, hope your parents won’t notice the sudden bungee dive in your GPA, or convince yourself that employers are more concerned with your experience than with your grade point. While these arguments may be believable while you are sitting in your room procrastinating a paper or studies, they may not fare as well when you actually have to show your parents your grade report or go to an interview.

A few students also might fall into the freethinker category on this issue. You know they kind I’m talking about — the people who “don’t believe in grades.” They object to being judged by someone and think while a letter is fully capable of hosting an episode of Sesame Street, an “A,” “B” or “C” does not have the right to put you into an academic box. Hopefully, the remainder of the student population will be concerned enough about their grades that it will become a motivator for this last month of classes.

The weather also poses a problem. It’s difficult to stay focused on theories, problems and papers when the sun is shining and it’s almost warm outside. I have tried to beat the weather at it’s own game and keep myself from academic ruin by studying outside. Let a beautiful day motivate you to study in the grass or on a picnic table. A great idea, or so I thought. It’s actually more difficult to study outdoors.

Papers rustle around and frequently get caught by the wind, if you don’t wear sunglasses your textbooks tend to create a glare, and sometimes the sun feels so warm it can have a Sandman effect instead of a studious one. One especially bad experience studying outdoors left a painful impression on my skin for the next couple of weeks.

Final exams are bad enough. Don’t complicate your week like I did by soaking up a really bad sunburn while my brain was absorbing information for my exam.

Bad weather is almost a better motivator. When it rains or it’s cold, nobody wants to be outside. What better way to spend a rainy day than at your desk or computer flying through assignments like they’re going out of style? Make the most of melancholy weather as a motivator to get some work done.

Senioritis also seems to be standing in the way of some students’ success in their final semester. I can’t pretend to plea innocent. I am more than ready to hang up my highlighter and study guides and take off running down the street when a professor hands me a new project assignment.

Perhaps we can create a reason to be motivated from these feelings. Soon we’ll be in the working world. Sure, we won’t see too many chemistry problems or five-page papers. Oh no, we’ll have even better things to occupy our minds, like grant proposals, annual reports and company presentations. To top the whole thing off, they’ll expect us to work at least eight hours a day, instead of simply sitting in class for the typical three to five. What will become of us? That, my friend, makes me wonder if I’ll ever long for the days of papers and tests. Somehow, I doubt it.

Anyway, try and let that nasty case of senioritis work for you rather than against you. For underclassmen, may your deadlines be extended and your tests be open book. Good luck.

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Joanne Roepke is a senior in journalism and mass communication from Aurora.