This Is It....

It is finally the time of the year that all of us have been waiting for…..FINALS! Finals is  that one week that us college students dread. It’s that one week that our professors love to compile everything they can into one big study guide just so we can show them how much we have been paying attention(or not so much) in class. Well, your time has come to show yourself what you are made of! I know you may have five finals in five days or maybe even six finals in five days, but now is the time to turn off that UK basketball game that was recorded a week ago and dust off that brand new textbook that has been sitting in the corner of your room and actually open it.

           With all that great studying that you will be doing this week, I thought it would be a great time to share with you some Do’s and Don’ts for the typical UK student. So while you are so focused on studying for that Biochemistry exam or that 15-page paper due tomorrow, take some time away and enlighten yourself with some humor.

- DO make a game plan for your finals.

Just like going out on the town with some friends or trying to figure out what you will do for the weekend, it would be very wise to at least know when your finals are, the time and the location. After you have that, set up a schedule so you can study certain subjects at different times.

- DON’T sit in bed and study.

Like everyone else, I like to be comfortable when I have to sit and endure 5 hours of none stop study, but I have learned that the bed is not your friend when trying to study. See this is what happens: you get in bed and pull the covers up so you can be cozy, then you make sure all your study material is surrounding you, you grab your work and start looking over everything repetitively. Next thing you know your eyes start getting heavy; you are fighting the sleep, and within 30 minutes of “studying” the sleep has conquered you.

- DO know what your particular study environment is.

I personally can’t sit down in a chair in Willy T. and look at notes non-stop. That makes me tired just thinking about it. Don’t get me wrong I love all the Hunger Games theme song whispers, chatting conversations, and random “shouting word games” that happens in Willy T. but not when I’m studying. I like to paste back and forth in my apartment or  just walk around campus with my notes and talk them about. Yeah, yeah you may look weird walking around talking to yourself but at least you will know your material. 

 

- DON’T study with the television on.

We all have been doing this college thing for some time now. Rather it is for one semester or seven semesters, we should all know that studying with the television on is just a distraction. Most college students have a Netflix account and personally Netflix is one of my best friends. It can be really hard to stop watching a show/movie just when it was getting good. Instead of you paying attention to your grammar and punctuation on that 15-page final paper you are trying to figure out how Bob and Ray are going to escape the riot to safety. As interesting as that sounds, your business management paper is the one that will receive a grade.

 

- DO take a late night run to Tolly-Ho.

Let’s face it, most of us will be up for some late nights. Why don’t you and your friends take a break and go get some food a Tolly-Ho. What’s a better way to start your studies without some food from one of UK’s famed traditions? I know Tolly Ho’s food isn’t exactly a salad but you have to treat yourself some times and what better way would there be than reminiscing with friends and eating breakfast at night. 

- DON’T use social media as often.

We all know that most of us could stay on any social media website for hours on end. Whether it is Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, you and your friends could stay on there for hours looking at the latest pictures from your friends or running through your timeline to find the latest gossip. Being on these social media websites can take away valuable study time that you won’t be able to replace. Just limit your time on these sites and put more energy into studying and you will be sure see results. 

      Finals….this is on time in your life that you will for sure not forget. All the late night studying, coffee, sugar and cramming is just the tip of the iceberg during finals week. Do not stress out just do what you know and you’ll be fine. Don’t look at the don’ts as something to not do during finals week, look at them as a reward for studying. You can lie in bed and surf the timeline of your Twitter while watching Walking Dead episodes after you feel you have had a successful night of studying. Again, this is it; you don’t want to end this semester on a bad note just because you failed to study.  So just keep calm and study on!

 

 Kenyatta is a senior majoring in Dietetics.  She is from Houston, Texas.  She is involved with UK MANRRS, is a UK Ag Ambassador, and has worked at the UK Johnson Center.