May/08©Chris Farley
Vacation!
My school’s summer vacation is just a few weeks away, but my blog vacation is starting now. But it’s not a real vacation. It’s a “vacation.”
Anybody who has ever been in school at almost any level knows that finals are the storm before the calm. A few weeks of intense studying, a few days of intense testing, and then nothing. Perhaps a few parties or graduation, but nothing that even approaches the intensity of days past.
I take my exams seriously. In fact, I’m willing to say that I take them too seriously, but I’m certainly not changing any time soon. This weekend was a crazy studying weekend (I think I should just have a truck full of index cards come to my house) and it will continue through the week. Next weekend is Memorial Day weekend and the nation will be having barbeques and setting off fireworks (or not, see here). I, on the other hand, will be studying.
My crazy, irrational thinking is preventing me from doing anything other than studying. Every time I start writing a blog post, I stop because I think it is an unconscionable waste of time to not be studying. Therefore, I’m taking a little vacation. Roughly two weeks. But it’s not a real vacation because I will still be posting, but the posts will be less frequent and not of the depth that some have come to expect. It’s not a vacation from writing, but it will probably turn out to be a vacation from writing well because the writing will have to fit into my odd breaks or when I have free time but can’t bring myself to study.
I ask you to stick with me during this time of flash cards, color coded study sheets, number two pencils, and most importantly, a lot of Diet Coke.
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7:48 pm on May 18th, 2008
As finals time approaches, I have a predicament. Should I think of the finals as an abnormally large test or as a totally different thing in its own category? Any comments? (FYI – At our school, Finals are worth 14% of your year grade.)
8:15 pm on May 18th, 2008
Chris, chill with the diet coke. Drink water. Also, Riley, Finals at our school can range from 7% to 14% depending on departments. Check with your teachers for specifics. But trust me, do not stress about your grade finals because from there on it can only get worse. This years finals for me are going to be hectic, crazy, all sorts of things I do not even want to talk about them. Just think of them as abnormally large tests it takes an edge off the stress factor.
8:45 pm on May 18th, 2008
With 9 1/2 years of post-secondary behind me, after a while, finals just started to feel like a weird, several-times-a-year holiday season. One year I found myself building a 4000-gallon fish pond during finals week. I'd get up, splash around for a few hours, dry off and drive to campus, take the test, then go back to splashing. It all worked out. Good luck, Chris. I know you'll do well. Don't make yourself sick over it.
3:31 pm on May 19th, 2008
I second the motion to cool it on the diet coke. Now, yerba mate, that's another story…
Seriously, though, don't study *too* hard. It is very important to learn to find a balance between school and life early on, so you don't completely freak out like those poor souls who are currently sitting in the library, where they have been living for the past week.
Now back to my practice calculus exam. Differential equations and infinite series do not equal fun.
5:26 pm on May 19th, 2008
Hi Chris,
Yet one more voice suggesting you give up the diet coke. It DOES NOT help you study better, harder, longer or stronger, nor does it help you remember or understand better or longer. Good old H2O is the best liquid you can drink for your brain and body. If you insist, I will email you the chemical reasoning for this, or you can simply trust me
The second best thing you can do to prepare for exams is get a comfortable and solid night's sleep each night. Again, if you insist, I will email you the reasoning for this, or you can simply trust me.
And lastly, it is helpful to take breaks when studying, and in addition to blogging as a break, you can also take WALKS. (Just trust me!)
Aren't you glad I posted a comment
Cheers,
The Apricot Lady (aka Mrs B)
7:21 pm on May 19th, 2008
I don't think you can view a final as a big test because it's not. Finals are in a category of their own. Instead, it's important to think rationally and realize that nervousness does not help except as a motivator.
7:22 pm on May 19th, 2008
In response to all the Diet Coke naysayers, I like Diet Coke and I do drink water from time to time. I am balancing my Diet Coke addiction with all other appropriate study habits.
9:27 pm on May 19th, 2008
Hey Chris!
At least its DIET coke, I am an addict to Starbucks, it is alot less cost effective, and alot less healthy. In Terms of Final Exams, though, my current grade couldn't be more different than your school. We have a spelling test, words, written. We also have math flash cards as our math final. In my AP courses, however, i had written exam, a practical, and an oral fact check worth 65% of my grade. This all got finished up today, Monday the 19th of May. The rest of the week is simply play.
Good Luck,
Spencer Claiborne
8:51 pm on May 20th, 2008
As one of the people responsible for making you feel like you need to study inordinate amounts of time, let me be a bit of a voice of reason: go through the review sheets. Pick out only the items that you do not already feel you know and make flash cards for those – and not everything.
Somehow I think you’ll be fine.
Other things:
Mrs. B makes excellent points. Do listen.
DC is great. While good ol’ water is excellent and necessary, I support the DC. It’s the only reason I’m up now.
Mr. M.
3:33 pm on May 21st, 2008
Don't you worry too much about finals. From what this blog looks like, you are a pretty smart, affluent kid. Don't worry about it too much because you KNOW that you will do well. Also, don't drink Diet Coke, you wont be able to go to bed. Before the test, look at the material once more, just to get your mind into that mode. I never graduated from college, but in high school this is what I did, and did it pretty well. Best of luck, Ron.