Tag: Finals

Easter Break 2019

Easter Break 2019

Believe it or not, Easter Break is right around the corner! Many of us are probably at that point into the semester where classes may seem a bit overwhelming with exams, projects, quizzes, papers, etc. If there should be anything that keeps you going and gives you the extra push, it is to look forward to this mini break. However, not to kill the excitement, but it is important to consider lots of studying time during this break because following this, is finals week. Yes, the lovely finals week. A lot of students tend to put off the studying until the last week of class (a week before finals week) but, of course, that is not ideal. You should really use this time to plan your schedule for this intense upcoming week and take advantage of the studying time. It may not be the most fun thing during a break, but keep this as a push because it is a few weeks before summer break! I always look forward to this break, because although it is stressful knowing how close final exams are, it reminds me how close summer break is as well and that keeps me going. Because break is only Friday-Monday, its not long enough to do something super eventful, but not short enough to do nothing, so I take advantage of this time to catch up on lectures, notes, and prepare for what exams I have coming up. Take a look at what your grades are looking like, and what you need on these last few assignments to get your desired grade. Try to also catch up on a normal sleep schedule; I’m sure many of us have pulled all-nighters or have had an off schedule, so its possible to get a good 8 hours of sleep and be productive throughout the day with a balance of studying and relaxing! Make sure to also eat well, because unfortunately, we need to prepare our bodies for what will come forth during finals week. I know this all sounds like obvious things to do, but many of us ignore important tasks like so, and it becomes risky during finals week.

This year’s Easter Break will take place April 19-April 22, 2019.

**Note: Classes after 4:15 on Thursday are CANCELLED.

Also, not many Universities have an Easter Break, so proudly embrace it and plan accordingly, where you can be productive and give yourself some free time!

Is It Really The End? The END?

Is It Really The End? The END?

Surprisingly enough, this week is Finals Week. It has been quite strange this time. It does not really feel like I ended Junior year nor do I feel like summer vacation next week. I do not know whether or not it is because of the gloomy, cold weather or if it is because I do not want to be a senior yet and graduate and ultimately come face to face with reality ( I am being dramatic).

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Here’s a more in-depth look at what Finals Week looks like:

  • The IC building and Damen is FULL of students. Never have I ever spent so much time trying to find a single desk and chair to study for my Physics final. It’s pretty cool to see so much activity going on and seeing an academic vibe.

  • Paper. Lots of paper- Study guides, Power Point slides, lecture notes, assignments, and more. Needless to say, the printers are a hotspot! Hot Hot Hot (what a pun!)
  • Coffee and Energy drinks keep us going and going and going….(echo the “going”…)

  • There are certain times campus is super active and empty, marking the times when finals are in session or people just got out. This is more vivid to see than our regular semester passing periods.
  • Luggage and moving out. It is visible to see who is going to take their last final and ready to get off of campus and jump into summer! For commuter students, well, they look the same.
  • Stress. It is quite common for students to feel a high level of stress during this time. It is understandable because of exams, papers, presentations and more. Sometimes stress and anxiety can correlate to acts of passive-aggressiveness, being dramatic, and sarcastic which I can assure you, played no part in how this blog was written.

Please pray for our students! 🙂

Let’s End This With A Bang!

Let’s End This With A Bang!

Finals week is fast approaching and students such as myself got to stay focus and do well on our exams (the first week of May). For some classes, exams are the only component that make up your grade, so it is essential to do well on each test. I am taking 19 credits and am trying to be optimistic about the workload of studying and motivation I have to dedicate, so in short terms, let’s end this semester with a bang! (and “bang” meaning successfully well)

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Finals is in two weeks and the pressures are starting to build up! Some teachers are trying to cram some last bits of info into our heads, sniffles and sneezes are heard because of allergy season, seniors and the school prepare for commencements, summer weather is peeping up causing us to go outside and play rather than study for finals inside, the Admissions Office has so many things going on, and by this point it is obvious that I am deliberately creating a run-on-sentence to emphasize that A LOT is happening in so little time.

However, I like to be a realist and understand that my grades don’t care whether or not pollen is in the air, the sun is shining, or people are skiing on Lake Michigan. Finals are finals and my exams should be taken with all seriousness. As for now, there must be a bit of self-discipline to get through these next 2 weeks because I want my hard work to reflect the grade I get at the end of the year. I keep telling myself that the weather will be even more great after finals and I will have more fun later, so this helps me contain my inner summer excitement for the time being.

I don’t know if it works for you, but passive aggressive and sarcastic writing is entertaining for me because I get to be overly dramatic and have a laugh here and there. If you are long-term readers to this blog, you know I really like to speak my mind and offer a more personal touch to my writing.  Personally I believe a good blog post should be written genuinely and thoughtfully and can address the reader in an open and engaging way. Therefore, I hope this helps you, the reader, to have a more “insider look” to the life of an actual Rambler, in this case reflecting on how little time he has left to attempt to end this year with a bang!

(see what I did there?)  

P.S. This blog posts on Finals Weeks seems early (1 week early), but I am not a procrastinator on most things! See what I did– I’m going to end this semester with a bang because I prepared for my finals early and blogged on it early too! haha

Fall Semester Final’s Breakfast

Fall Semester Final’s Breakfast

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Finals are approaching faster than it may seem, and as nerve wracking that sounds, the bright side is that winter break is almost here! You should be preparing for finals because you’re going to have a lot of reviewing to do, depending on how many exams you have, whether they’re cumulative or not, and the level of easiness or difficulty of the content.

You should also know when your finals are scheduled, and if you don’t, here is the link: http://www.luc.edu/academics/schedules/spring/exam_schedule.shtml

NOTE: Make sure this matches up to your syllabus, and if it does not, bring this up to your professor.

Now enough of the scary stuff, FINALS BREAKFAST IS ALMOST HERE.

Finals breakfast takes place at the end of each semester, the Tuesday of every finals week! The fun part of it is that its at 9PM instead of the morning, so take a break from the stress and get together with friends. Take advantage of the free food, after all, food makes everyone happy.

I wish everyone the best of luck on finals! Do the best you can, make sure you have tons of caffeine, and be optimistic. You won’t have to deal with this again until August 29th!

Remember: Finals Breakfast Fall 2016: Tuesday December 13th, 2016 9PM-10:30PM in the Gentile Arena!

Finals are Approaching!

Finals are Approaching!

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Isn’t it surprising how fast this semester was and how finals was creeping behind your back the whole time, ready to lunge at you unexpectedly? Yes. This is what it feels like.

Finals week will begin next week, starting from Monday, May 2, to Saturday, May 7. Since I am taking 18 credit hours of courses, I will have finals on each day, except for Thursday and Saturday. On Friday, I will be taking three exams, from morning until nighttime (so please pray for me).

With that being said, it is essential to study (way) ahead of time and create study guides, flashcards, be a part of study groups, visit tutors and professors, and dedicate enough of your own time to read the text. One advice I have is if the professor gives you extra credit for you to do something, YOU SHOULD DO IT! Do not miss out on the opportunity because at the end of the semester, that extra credit could mean the difference between getting an A- to an A. Every little bit counts and in all honestly, doing extra credit can only boost your grade, so there is really no harm in doing it!

Finals, depending on what professor you have, he/she will simply treat exams like any other exam and sometimes (if you have an awesome professor) they will make the exam non-cumulative!

Study tips:

  1. Get plenty of rest. Naps are good, but try to get at least the required 7-8 hours of sleep per night.
  2. Meet up with professors during office hours, even if you don’t have any questions. You might learn some valuable things about the exam.
  3. Make study guides.
  4. Read the required texts.
  5. Study AHEAD of time.
  6. Eat well and healthy.
  7. Take short breaks.
  8. Prioritize what you need to do, accordingly.
  9. Do most of your studying in the break of dawn. You study more effectively at this time of day.
  10. Be optimistic and hopeful that you will do well on the finals! Have confidence!

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Registering For Classes – What’s that like?

Registering For Classes – What’s that like?

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One of the biggest aspect of colleges is class. Unexpected, right? Not nearly so much as you would think. There are also other essential components to the college experience, but class is pretty high up there on the list, definitely a tie for first with whatever you love. After all, it’s kind of the reason you’re at college – or the reason you get to complete it.

In the movies, there’s barely any representation of classes that you go to, or if there is, they take way less precedence that the drama between characters. Admittedly, a movie about an ordinary college class would not be very exciting. But classes are! Since you have freedom to choose which class you want, you can take anything that you need, love, or want to pursue.

There’s just one catch: you might not get into it on your first try. (It’s not as scary as it seems, I promise you.)

I just want to share with you all about the class registration process, because it can get pretty crazy. I know it always causes me panic, as a very schedule-oriented person, so I fix that by making alternate schedules upon alternate schedules, calculating what to do if I don’t get into this class or that. We have something called the Four-Year Plan, a layout on Excel that provides an easy layout for planning all of your classes, if you’re like me and want to check that out.

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The way our registration works can seem weird, but it makes sense. Depending on your credit hours, you get to have registration priority, or if you are in a program that requires you to take classes in a specific order or amount, such as Honors.

Registration takes place entirely online, unless you need to talk to an advisor about something specifically – they can override things and pretty much have magical schedule powers. Before registration even opens, however, you can put classes into your ‘shopping cart’ after picking out the time, teacher, and class that is offered that best works with you. That way, when you do get to register, you don’t have to waste precious time scanning through the inventory – you can just click ‘enroll’ and you’re set!

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Unless, of course, your class is filled by people with an earlier registration time than you. For freshman classes, that’s very unlikely, but it gets more common the longer you’re here. It’s all dependent on credits – so, credit Seniors get first pick, then Juniors, Sophomores, and so on. It’s pretty neat because many people come into college with transfer credits from AP classes so they could be a credit Sophomore while still being a freshman, allowing for earlier registration. Very cool.

Really, as an incoming freshman, you shouldn’t worry about getting into classes too much. You might hear this piece of advice a lot, but I’ll tell it again: don’t take 8 am classes. Later in your college career the professor becomes more important than the time, but I have seen so many freshmen regret their decision to take an early class. Just trust me.

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Facing Finals

Facing Finals

 

Whether you’re a freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior, you’re final exams are incredibly important to your collegiate futures. Colleges pay close attention to your freshman – junior year grades when making admission and scholarship decisions and colleges can revoke admission or scholarship awards from seniors who let their grades slip. All of this just stresses the importance of final exams no matter your year in high school, so below, I’m sharing a few tips on how to do your best on these tests:

  • Sleep: Make sure to get some sleep two nights prior to the exam. Not only does the night before matter, but so does the day before. You’ll want to make sure you’re rested and alert, so avoid pulling all-nighters.
  • Eat: Make sure to eat before your test as you don’t want to be distracted by your growling stomach or the number of minutes until lunch.
  • Maintain a Routine: Sitting in your normal seat and retaining your normal schedule before the exam can help you feel more at ease and might even help your memory.
  • Ask Questions: Ask as many questions as possible about the test so you know what to expect. Make sure to clarify any uncertainties with exam content with your teachers before the test. This means you’ll have to study and review early enough in advance to figure out what you don’t know; then spend the rest of the time learning those items.
  • Learn how to Study: Not everyone learns the same way, so figure out if study groups, re-reading the textbook, making note cards, writing outlines, etc. works best for you. It might even be more beneficial to study a couple different ways to make sure you’ll be ready to ace the test.
  • Avoid Senioritis: Even though there is so much to be distracted and excited about, you need to maintain your focus and motivation to do well on finals. As listed above, there can be some very serious and expensive consequences if you let your distraction get the best of you!

GOOD LUCK!!

Finals are HERE!

Finals are HERE!

That long awaited finals week has come where students will get to complete their class course and earn their credit towards graduating. These finals are critical; most professors count the final exam as a considerable portion of the overall grade. In addition, most final exams will be cumulative based on what the professor wants; students will have to review all their material from August to December. With that being said, it is obvious to say that there is a lot of pressure on the students. For some, it’s all about cramming all the information into the mind and for others, it can be the “make it or break it” moment of passing the class or failing.

Personally, I am a bit nervous for these finals because I am only a freshman and I have never taken a college final before. It is a little intimidating and scary, but I suppose it’s alright to feel this way because practically all the freshman have not taken a final yet either. But to boost confidence when test taking, I have to feel good about studying and understand the material well. I plan to visit the professors during their office hours for the last time to ask some last minute questions and visit the tutoring center for additional help.

Wish me good luck!

Finals are Finished!

Finals are Finished!

Summer vacation is finally here, and this blog is long overdue. Finals are over, and the week was a rough one, so I’m really happy that they’re done. I had four tests and two papers due, and thankfully, the semester didn’t end poorly.

On the first day of finals I had two night finals back-to-back. They were tough, but my final grades in the classes reflect that I did well enough on them. The next morning at 9:00AM, I had my Information Systems final, which is the class and final that I am most proud of. I had to get at least a 95% on the final to get an A in the class, and I didn’t think that there was a chance I would be able to manage, but I succeeded, and it was the highlight of my finals week.

That same night, I had my first paper due, and once I submitted that, I was two-thirds through my finals. My biggest struggle was my Thursday night final, and I studied as hard as I could to try and do well in the class. I didn’t quite get the grade that I wanted in the class, but I’m not upset with the final result either. It was a tough course that I’m at least happy I got through.

Thursday night was when I had my last exam, but the semester wasn’t over until I submitted my final paper on Friday morning. It was a group paper for my Marketing class, one that we had been working on since the beginning of the semester. We were all nervous to submit it because we had hit several bumps along the road getting it done, but we did it and that submission concluded my junior year.

The weather may be chilly outside today, but the summer before my senior year of college has officially begun. I plan on working a lot, and getting myself back in tiptop shape because the weeks leading up to finals week led me off track. Other than that, my summer is not yet planned because I want to see what it has in store for me. It’s my last college summer before I step into the work force next year, so I hope that it’s an awesome one. I hope to blog at least occasionally this summer, so keep your eyes open for the next post!

PS: Congratulations to graduating seniors, you guys did it!

100 Meters Left Everyone!

100 Meters Left Everyone!

One week done and one week left to go before we face the unwanted, but necessary, Finals. I’ll be dividing this blog into two, one to cover this past week and some things I’ll be expecting next week, and the second to briefly write about Thanksgiving, even though it was over a week ago.

The main schoolwork that I had this week was my theater presentation for the play we recently read in class, “Rabbit Hole” by David Lindsay Abaire. It’s a really good play about a family’s life and coping in the aftermath of a tragic accident. For those who have read it, I got to play Izzy and my partner played Becca in the scene towards the beginning of the play where my character reveals that she is pregnant (6:45 to 8:30 in the video). Though my life is nothing like my character’s, my attitude has similar qualities with Izzy’s, so getting into character and playing her was enjoyable. My performance on Tuesday was the first of two, my second one being on my Final day.

Next week will be just as busy as Finals week. I have two papers due on Monday, one for my BSAD 220 class, and one for my Management class. For my BSAD class paper, I had to interview an individual working in a business environment, and I conducted my interview yesterday. I got so much valuable information, not just for my paper, but for me personally.

The best advice and information that I got was that it is okay if I’m not sure yet what I want to do with my life after I graduate. I don’t need to have my life mapped out for myself just yet, and what is important is that I follow my heart in whatever direction it wants to take me career wise. Even though I will make mistakes along the way, I do not want to look back in thirty years and feel like I wasted my precious time in a job that wasn’t for me. This advice may seem logical, but when you hear a successful person who has been in the professional world for many years say this, it helps ease the fears of what happens after this stage in our lives.

Besides having two papers due on Monday, I also have an oral evaluation for my Literature class on Tuesday, my Final Theater paper due on Thursday, and a Final next Friday. I’m a little nervous about succeeding at all these things, but I’m simultaneously excited to tackle them. I feel like a runner who has to sprint the last 100 meters of a race, when the adrenaline kicks into high gear- it’s empowering.