The Calm Before the Storm
This week is the calm. Next week is the storm.Next Monday, April 22nd will officially be last day of classes. With a second semester under my belt, I will be preparing for the glorious three months of Summer vacation. But, an obstacle stands in the way: Finals. Luckily, my exam schedule is spread out fairly evenly and so I should have plenty of time to study in between exams. I say “should” because I know I will revert to my usual “9-9-9” plan. 9 minutes of studying, 9 minutes of Facebook and 9 minutes of half studying-half Facebooking. After about an hour of studying, I will find it fit to take a short break and needless to say, my studying attempts are futile. My roommate thinks I study a lot because I am at the library for 8-9 hours. But in reality, I have only studied for maybe 4 or 5 hours.
Finals week is the also the only time when the library actually gets filled up. Everyone tends to flock to the library looking for their own private studying space. During these times, it is imperative to find a study spot and stay there until you are done. If you leave your desk unattended, someone will steal your study spot and you WILL fail your final. There are plenty of people eagerly waiting like seagulls wandering around looking for an empty desk. So, if you do not want to come back to your desk occupied by some other person, I recommend leaving things on your desk that will be clearly visible.
My most important wisdom for surviving in the library is to bring food. When it is 11pm and you have been studying for countless hours, there is nothing more motivating than having a snack in handy. You can even play mental games with yourself to make studying more fun. For example, If you are studying calculus, you can tell yourself that you are allowed to have a snack after finishing a certain number of problems. This is just one of my secrets in successful studying. If you want more tips, you will have to ask me personally.
My exam schedules looks like the following:
Next Wednesday I have my Chemistry Final, the following Monday I will have my Calculus Final and two days later I will finish exams with my Ethics final. All encouragement and care packages are greatly encouraged for me to excel in my exams.