How to enjoy your finals

Finals week is never met by cheers, although it signals the end of the semester and/or school year, which is always a good thing. Instead of celebrating the culmination of a semester's work and achievements, the thought of final exams receive groans and teeth-gritting. But why not put a new perspective on the weeks leading up to D-Day? No longer shall we proclaim finals week as "Hell Week"- we must think of it as VF-Day: Victory over Finals.

For possibly the first time in my college career, I am actually looking forward to finals. Why? A) I have a great final exams schedule: no doubling up, afternoon tests and only three total! Not to mention only one of those exams is written. I got by pretty easily this semester.

B) I am super excited that in a few days school will officially be over for the year and I can finally call myself a senior. My peers tell me you cannot call yourself a senior just because Campus Connect does (take that, Keith Christensen II!).

Finally, C) As of Wednesday, I am already done with one class. No final, just hand in a portfolio which I already have done. That means I have one paper/presentation to focus on and that's not due until Wednesday (thank you, Dr. Formichella-Elsden).

Okay, so maybe I do have it pretty easy. But believe it or not, a few weeks ago I was in premature Hell Week(s), so I did take part in my share of frustration and hair-pulling. Because of that, I decided I am going to stop worrying so much about finals and enjoy the nice weather. I figured I've done about 90 percent of all the work leading up to finals week, so why not relax a little? I'm not saying you should necessarily slack and not attend your finals or do the work, just try to take it in stride.

Now we get to the how-to part. My advice on how to maximize your enjoyment from finals is to find a new place to study. If it's nice out, definitely take your work outside with you. You will be amazed at how much the beautiful weather can enhance your mood and even clear your mind enough to allow you to actually get something done. Just find a quiet place. I sat outside for two hours the other day and read an entire book in that time - I was amazed.

Another tip: Find/do something that will improve your mood or give you something to look forward to. Tell yourself to work for a certain amount of hours and then take a break and do something fun like watch a movie or go to Dairy Queen. I guarantee you will not be wasting precious study time. Chances are you would have gotten less done in an hour or two anyway. Use your break time wisely, though - allow an hour or so and only after you have worked solidly.

Above all, remember that spring finals mean the end of the year and the start of summer break. Work towards next Thursday afternoon when all classes will have ended and three months of well-deserved vacation arrives. Just remember to take the time to breathe a bit, relax and pace yourself accordingly.

After three years of final exams, you will learn that finals week is just another week, but one with a big prize at the end. Woo-hoo for finals!