Students offer finals advice

BY SUZIE ROTH
Cardinal Staff

It has arrived. The week when students’ behaviors change, the Saint Mary’s University community’s stress level rises and the restlessness for Christmas break reaches its peak. This is the week most college students dread: finals week. How do students make it through this awful week? Some have crazy study habits, others have special study spots, but preparation aside, a SMU finals week is certainly something you just have to experience for yourself.

Most students said their best studying takes place in the library. However, some students prefer the Hendrickson Center. One student, who chose to remain anonymous, even confessed to studying in a dog kennel. When studying in the library, a common theme among students is to sit in the same spot. Senior Jeff Miller has been studying in the same spot in the library since his freshman year. Although some students think finals are easy, Miller warns that finals will “only get harder,” and advises freshman not to be too loud during quiet hours because it can get expensive.

Finals week also brings out students’ creative sides, which can be seen in their study habits as well as the rituals they perform before taking a final. Some students take breaks by coloring in coloring books, while others prefer to take a 10 minute break after every one hour of studying. Other students rely on energy drinks and coffee to get them through. Even after stepping into the classroom, students often rely on rituals to help them take their tests. Some students have lucky charms ranging from special pencils to lucky boxers; others just make sure they have a “solid” meal in their stomachs. Junior Steven Boussie, junior, eats some chocolate before taking a final because “chocolate is significantly proven to help your brain on tests.”

The worst parts about finals include the long hours of studying, having more than one final in a day, and the lack of sleep students face. Junior Jack Sullivan, cautions freshmen that “cumulative tests are brutal.” As a result, many students recommend that their peers start studying early and take full advantage of study day. Whether you pull an all-nighter, rely on caffeine or have a lucky superstition, congratulate yourself, because after Dec. 15, we will all have another semester to put in the history books.