Random Post is Random (or a Snapshot of Finals Week)
It is finals time here at college.
But what does that mean? What do finals entail? How has the atmosphere of the school changed? Well, this post will attempt to answer some of those questions, mainly through disjointed and silly anecdotes, strung together by themes. Sort of.
(And if you were wondering how I have time to post during finals, I have it rather easy this term. Boo yah.)
Finals Week: The Academics
Let me brag for a moment. I attend a small, exclusive liberal arts school. It consistently ranks in the top ten such colleges in the nation. The education one receives here is, generally speaking, phenomenal. What this means for finals is that they are often brutal. My load this term is startlingly light (for tenth week, I mean), but the overall air of the student body is slightly (or very) panicked, overworked, with that frantic edge of sleep deprivation. People lock themselves in the library or computer lab for hours on end. Some illustrative stories about my friends:
One guy has a total of 45 pages spread out over three papers to write in less than a week. He considers this to be manageable.
Another close guy friend arrived at the library today four minutes before it opened. All of the large study rooms were already taken. How is this possible? No one knows. Nevertheless, he still has computer science final project, a ten-page English paper, and six pages remaining of a poli sci paper to finish in three days.
And let me clarify what I mean be my load being light: I already had my Spanish final essay (written in class, a rather terrifying prospect), oral exam, and turned in the abstract for my term-long project in Astronomy. I have yet to give my presentation on the project and take the final exam in Shakespeare. That is relatively little work.
So, for the students, a common bond is formed in adversity. Massive amounts of caffeinated drinks are consumed, the library is constantly full, and every available seat hosts a person with a laptop. We all work furiously and desperately hope it pays off.
Finals Week: The Silliness
One can imagine that, with all this pressure, finals tends to also drive the students a bit stir-crazy. This manifests itself on Reading Days (the two days leading up to finals period in which nothing happens and it is wonderful). At Late-Night Breakfast, the administration serves waffles and gives away sparkly sequined masks and inflatable M&Ms. At the Library Silent Dance party, a huge portion of the student body downloads the same playlist, takes their portable music-playing device down to the first floor of the library (where people glare at you if you unzip your backpack too loudly) and dance without making a sound. They wend their way upwards and then out across campus, dancing on tables and bookcases and out on the grass, grinding and jiving and doing swing and ballroom and latin. Movie nights are planned, parties are had, and everything is underlaid with work and studying.
For my part, I had a slashy movie night with friends. We watched Star Trek (the new one) and Sherlock Holmes (also the new one) and fangirled until the early morning. We made immature jokes and debated the physics of sci fi. We had a poking fight that somehow ended with several people in handcuffs (don't ask). In short, we indulged in pure fun as much as possible. It was glorious.
So. That is some sort of idea of how finals week works. It is at once a miserable and fantastic experience. I can't decide whether I'll miss it next term.
Now, I actually still have work to do, including packing to make my way home.
Productivity, engage!
But what does that mean? What do finals entail? How has the atmosphere of the school changed? Well, this post will attempt to answer some of those questions, mainly through disjointed and silly anecdotes, strung together by themes. Sort of.
(And if you were wondering how I have time to post during finals, I have it rather easy this term. Boo yah.)
Finals Week: The Academics
Let me brag for a moment. I attend a small, exclusive liberal arts school. It consistently ranks in the top ten such colleges in the nation. The education one receives here is, generally speaking, phenomenal. What this means for finals is that they are often brutal. My load this term is startlingly light (for tenth week, I mean), but the overall air of the student body is slightly (or very) panicked, overworked, with that frantic edge of sleep deprivation. People lock themselves in the library or computer lab for hours on end. Some illustrative stories about my friends:
One guy has a total of 45 pages spread out over three papers to write in less than a week. He considers this to be manageable.
Another close guy friend arrived at the library today four minutes before it opened. All of the large study rooms were already taken. How is this possible? No one knows. Nevertheless, he still has computer science final project, a ten-page English paper, and six pages remaining of a poli sci paper to finish in three days.
And let me clarify what I mean be my load being light: I already had my Spanish final essay (written in class, a rather terrifying prospect), oral exam, and turned in the abstract for my term-long project in Astronomy. I have yet to give my presentation on the project and take the final exam in Shakespeare. That is relatively little work.
So, for the students, a common bond is formed in adversity. Massive amounts of caffeinated drinks are consumed, the library is constantly full, and every available seat hosts a person with a laptop. We all work furiously and desperately hope it pays off.
Finals Week: The Silliness
One can imagine that, with all this pressure, finals tends to also drive the students a bit stir-crazy. This manifests itself on Reading Days (the two days leading up to finals period in which nothing happens and it is wonderful). At Late-Night Breakfast, the administration serves waffles and gives away sparkly sequined masks and inflatable M&Ms. At the Library Silent Dance party, a huge portion of the student body downloads the same playlist, takes their portable music-playing device down to the first floor of the library (where people glare at you if you unzip your backpack too loudly) and dance without making a sound. They wend their way upwards and then out across campus, dancing on tables and bookcases and out on the grass, grinding and jiving and doing swing and ballroom and latin. Movie nights are planned, parties are had, and everything is underlaid with work and studying.
For my part, I had a slashy movie night with friends. We watched Star Trek (the new one) and Sherlock Holmes (also the new one) and fangirled until the early morning. We made immature jokes and debated the physics of sci fi. We had a poking fight that somehow ended with several people in handcuffs (don't ask). In short, we indulged in pure fun as much as possible. It was glorious.
So. That is some sort of idea of how finals week works. It is at once a miserable and fantastic experience. I can't decide whether I'll miss it next term.
Now, I actually still have work to do, including packing to make my way home.
Productivity, engage!