<p>I think I'm starting to develop school-induced anxiety and am trying to figure out how to cope with it effectively. I was motivated to receive a high GPA this past semester because I have a guaranteed transfer offer to Cornell. Even though my GPA requirement is only a 3.3 with no grades below a B, I became academically obsessed in the weeks leading up to finals because I hadn't managed my time as well as I could have earlier in the semester, and I wanted to ensure my grades would be good enough to carry through with the transfer offer. I ended up receiving a very high GPA that surpasses the guaranteed transfer requirements, but still find myself in academic overdrive anxiety mode literally three weeks after my last final. I feel guilty for not doing school work that has not even been assigned yet (I'm on break...), and found myself doubting whether or not to take a 200-level class even though I am qualified to take it. How should I deal with this and allow myself to calm down? I feel a lot of pressure to be prepared and succeed because I really want to carry through with the transfer, and I feel compelled to get a very high GPA again this semester even though I know I will be taking more challenging courses and that it wouldn't reflect poorly on me if I received a lesser GPA. My final grade report is due in March, so I will be feeling pressure to perform until then. How should I address the feelings of anxiety I have been experiencing because of school work? Are there any optimal ways to manage my time/studying so I'll feel more in control? Although it is a good thing that I am motivated and want to ensure I meet the requirements, I do not want to become burned out or a wreck.</p>
<p>1) More people will read and respond if you make that into paragraphs.</p>
<p>2) Are you capable of making and maintaining a strict schedule? I knew people in college that excel charts with everything from sleeping to studying to watching TV on them. Personally I’d rather hang myself, but it works very well for some people.</p>
<p>3) Even if you don’t make a whole schedule set aside an hour every day. No matter what tests, papers, homework or anything else you have, do something relaxing during that time and don’t think about school. Now would be a great time to pick up meditation.</p>
<p>4) Get a sense of scale here; whatever happens doesn’t matter a whole lot on the grand scheme of things. Your worried about getting these grades so that you can get into another school where you’ll also be worried about grades, so you can get a job where you’ll be worried about performance, and then you die. So stop the cycle now and Don’t Worry. Do your best and let life take you where it decides.</p>
<p>5) If you get or have gotten to the point that you are losing sleep see the school psychologist. It may be free at your school, and if not your emotional well being is worth the money. You’d see a doctor if something wasn’t working correctly with your leg or back, right? So since you are having problems with your emotions it only makes sense to see someone trained to help you.</p>
<p>This seems like sound advice and I plan on following it as needed. Thank you for your response.</p>