It's finals week here at UC San Diego, and I can practically see the tumbleweeds making their way across our deserted streets as multitudes of students flee into their caves. The few that can be found out and about more closely resemble zombies than some of California's brightest. There's practically a tradition here that no one is allowed to do anything fun during finals week because they have to cram for finals, and I think it's completely boneheaded.
I'm not saying a bit of review before your tests is a bad thing, but it's hard to learn in one all-nighter what you've failed to learn during ten weeks of classes; if you've done your job during the quarter then your spare time during finals should be spent resting and relaxing. People perform much better when they're happy and rested than when they're stressed and tired. That should be obvious, but students everywhere seem hell-bent on running themselves through a gauntlet right before they have to be at their best for three hours straight. Would Lance Armstrong train hard all night right before a race? I don't think so. Think of your final exams like the most important athletic event you'll ever compete in, and prepare accordingly: train hard for months, and rest up as much possible the day before. It'll make you not suck as much at science, I promise.
This is an irritating problem that seems to pop up everywhere. There's always one or two classes that you could study for, but at some point, you just start to hit diminishing returns on your time. At that point (shock!), I find it's usually more effective to go out for a walk, grab a coffee, and just talk to people about any old thing.
ReplyDeleteTry to enjoy what you do, people!