The Necessities of Fall Finals Week

Korrin B.

December 5, 2010 - 8:45 PM

Taking a break to watch the Ducks football game aside, I have spent my weekend studying for finals and writing final papers. In my stressful time of need, I have found the following things to be the top five necessities for dealing with fall finals week.

1. Bach Rescue Remedy: This fabulous tinker is a homeopathic deterrent to stress. Made from flower essences, it is known for its ability to rescue you from the stress and anxiety of deadlines and piling tasks. My freshman year, I used the Bach Rescue Remedy while writing my final research paper for my Honors College History sequence and remember never having a moment of feeling overwhelmed. Twenty something pages later, I had a stress-free creation I could be proud of!

2. Satsumas: I am so happy satsumas are back in season. Just as Honeycrisp apples are saying goodbye, these small, delectable oranges arrive. They are perfect for this point in the term because they are tasty and fast and can give just that extra boost of energy you might need. They are also good for procrastination eating, which plagues many college students during this time. They offer a healthier choice to other snacky options.

3. Coffee: Sometimes you have to stay up until 5:00am in order to finish a paper. It is just the way it goes. How to make this work? I find my old friend, a cup of Joe, to do the trick quite well. However, I'll need about a week post finals to get all of the caffeine out of my system and back into a healthy sleeping pattern. You win some, you lose some.

4. Friends: Friends come in very handy during this time for general support and, well, let's be honest and call it what it is, procrastination. This point in the term is filled with countless text messages reading nothing more than, "What's up?" "Nothing..homework, studying. You?" "Same, can't wait for this term to be over." "Same. So, what do you have left?" And the conversation could go on mundanely talking about what each other have to do, instead of actually doing it, for hours. I love my friends.

5. Sun Lamp: The sun lamp is a nice addition to finals during fall term specifically because it is fall term. At this point, the Pacific Northwestern sun begins to leave us around 4:30pm. In addition, since all of us are cooped up inside libraries and various study nooks, we often miss the few hours we have to soak up the little sunlight offered and get our daily vitamin D. Although, getting this needed daily Vitamin D amount is hard to do anyway. I suggest a daily supplement. Anyway, this is where the sun lamp comes in and for any Pacific Northwestern familiar with the term S.A.D., or seasonally affected disorder, which, let's be real, is most of us, they should also be familiar with the sun lamp. The sun lamp is a special light that you can sit by that lets off light similar to that of the sun. It makes the brain happy and therefore, hopefully, you happy and energized as well. Why not turn it on while you finish that paper?