The constant beeping of the alarm clock on my night stand signaled a new day to start a different schedule. The familiar yet new atmosphere lifted me into the semester carefully and calmly. Being a senior, the small classroom sizes lead the once distant faces and personalities to become more and more recognizable. Yesterday was the first day of the semester, or so it felt like anyway.

Some days felt like they would never end until Friday came along and it was as if time increased its speed to get to Monday once again. As the semester drags on, it increasingly becomes more difficult to manage time from friends to course work.

I was sitting in class with a computer screen in front of me, doing the usual run through of clicking on emails, looking through schedules and assignments… A few moments away from drifting off into my daydreams, I pinched myself to wake up to the harsh reality of finals approaching over my shoulder. 

I just began my semester. I blinked my eyes and in that instant I lost all of the time I thought I had. The end of November is finally here which means the exams are treading on our heels.

It’s that time of year right before the holidays where students rely the most on that last drop of coffee. Cramming every last definition and phrase into the last hour of free time.

My best advice is to spread out the time each night or days you study. By taking an hour every day at least one week before the exam might lead to a better outcome than cramming everything in the night, or morning, before the exam.

Additionally, keep your phone in another room or at least at a far enough distance away. It’s never easy to pry yourself from a world that gives constant information just waiting to be read or shared. However, it can wait an hour.

Once finals week is over it feels as if a weight has been lifted and the enjoyment of winter break begins to settle in. We are all dreading the hours of writing with a hand cramp or filling in multiple choice answers, but one thing remains true, there’s nothing like leaving that classroom and never having to go back.

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