It's That Time of Year Again

Yes, it is the ever delightful Christmas season but if you are a college student you are probably either nearing or have already started taking finals. If you take a look around the UMBC campus you will see students cramming at the library and pretty much every other place that has a desk or place to sit. People are dressing a little sloppier and parties are almost unheard of at this point. And the thing is, finals week hasn't even started yet! Today is a study day meaning there are no classes or exams so that students can catch up on work and get a head start on studying. Then finals start on Thursday and continue through next Wednesday. Luckily for me I only have one real final, and then a presentation and two papers. I get to go home on Friday and finish up my work from home while fully immersed in Christmas celebration while the majority of students are still furiously studying.

Despite my early departure from school I am still stressing out like any other student. I have already had 2 tests and a presentation this week and still have another presentation and my only final. I am not a presentation person so having two in one week has my anxiety level through the roof. I am trying to keep everything in perspective and only focus on the more immediate work. Instead of trying to rush through everything so that I can hopefully accomplish more I am taking my time to make sure that I fully understand as much as I can. I would rather have a really strong grasp on 80% on my material than a poor understanding on all of the material.

So true!

And despite some really exciting things in the works on the running/triathlon front (more on that later) I am not worrying about either this week. I know people constantly say that it is important to hit the gym for a sweat session to keep the brain juices flowing but worrying about fitting in runs just seems to stress me out even more. I will run when I have time and feel comfortable taking a break from studying. Since I am not currently training for anything I am trying to focus on the parts of my life that are most important- like school. And with Christmas right around the corner I am anxious to get home and spend some quality time with my family and friends that I haven't seen since the summer.

I Survived Finals

It has been a long week but I as of tomorrow I will be done with finals! I only have a Russian final left but I am confident that it will go well. My hardest two finals were on Friday and I couldn't be happier that they are over with.

I spent most of last week studying my booty off and I am just so ready to officially done with finals. I can't wait to go home tomorrow and start to really enjoy the Christmas season. Unfortunately, finals has taken away most of the fun of the holiday season.

Tomorrow evening my dad, sister and I are going out Christmas shopping for my mom. We have a Christmas tradition of spending a little bit of time shopping and a lot of time eating. Most years we go to Olive Garden to stuff our faces with delish bread sticks.

I am also hoping to go ice skating with the boyfriend. I have only gone ice skating once before but it was a really long time ago. I am interested to see just how bad I am since I have zero balance.

Oh, and Christmas is only one week away! How did that happen?!

A College Girl's Survival Guide to Finals Week

Yesterday I told all the world how much I hate finals week. I hate everything about finals week and am so glad to be done with my first few finals of the week.

Since this is my fifth semester taking college classes, I have learned a thing or two about surviving this dreaded week.

1. Start preparing as soon as Thanksgiving break is over
I know this isn't going to help anyone who is didn't do their preparations already but regardless it is still really helpful. Start looking at what you still have left to do for the semester and see what you can get ahead on. If I know how much schoolwork I have to still do before finals than I can adequately prepare and plan for when I need to do everything.

2. Make a schedule for the week
I always feel super swamped during finals week but planning ahead really takes some of the stress away. If i know what tests I am going to study for each day than I can feel assured that everything will be covered. It also prevents me from studying from one class too much and another one too little. I have a tendency to study the most for the classes that I don't even need to study for. If I can just look at a schedule each day for what I need to study than I will actually get done what I need to get done.

3. Don't stay up late studying
A lot of people pull all nighters in order to study for finals but I find this to be pretty ineffective. If I stay up late studying than I will end up sleeping in because I am so tired. If I try to get up early after going to sleep late then my studying is compromised because I am too tired. I would much rather go to sleep at a normal hour and still be able to function and be productive the next day.

4. Plan meals ahead of time
I live in an off-campus apartment so I don't eat that many meals on campus. If I hit up the grocery store the weekend before finals and stock up on plenty of healthy eats then I can be assured that I will be eating healthy all week. It is not a good idea to just week whatever greasy junk food can be found the quickest. I always feel so sluggish and struggle to focus when I don't eat healthy foods. And finals week is really not the time to feel sluggish and inattentive.

5. Do something for yourself every day
I hate feeling like I have nothing to look forward to during finals, besides being done with school. I like to give myself little treats everyday to help keep me motivated. Yesterday I treated myself to a huuuge mug of caramel hot chocolate. Tomorrow I plan on watching Elf while copying down psych notes. These aren't grand things but they are enough to keep me excited and sane.