The Weekend before Finals

Korrin B.

December 9, 2008 - 10:27 AM

The weekend before finals week is one of the most intense times a person can be on campus. It is almost as if you can feel the studiousness in the air. Throughout the term there is a light and happy feeling in the air. Students are frolicking all over campus, information tables are set up all around the amphitheater near the EMU, and the free hug guys are out spreading the love to fellow students. When finals approach, the air turns thick and heavy. Sidewalks that were once filled with laughs and conversation are coated with solemn silence and students gazing at note cards as they walk. It is the time to get real. It is the time to learn all of that stuff you "forgot" to during the term.

I spent the Sunday before finals week in the Knight Law Library. In fact, I spent about eight straight hours in the Knight Law Library. I had to write a ten-page paper for my geology class, complete a take home final for my planning, public policy, and management class, and fill out seven course evaluations.

It was hard to find a seat in the library. Every desk, table, and study room was filled with a focused student. I finally found a desk over by a window in the back of the third floor. I looked out the window and sighed, knowing that I was in it for the long haul. However, it was nice to be away from all of the distractions of my room. There was no way that I could talk myself into thinking that I would still be able to work if I put on a movie. There was also no way for me to convince myself that making various snack foods instead of studying would increase my brain power.

I looked around the library at all of the other students. Some were reading, some were typing, and others were flipping through flash cards. Everyone was in the library with the same goal. Each person wanted to do the best he or she could on the tests that were coming in the following week. The library was such an intense environment.

Even when I got up for a bathroom break, I noticed this. There were so many people there, all escaping from something so that they could study the best they could. Perhaps some were escaping an annoying roommate who loves to play their bass as loud as possible. Maybe some were escaping from their Wii console that was way more fun than reading the History of Hunters and Gatherers Parts 1, 2, and 3.

It was kind of neat to see such focus and determination. I could connect with everyone at that library despite his or her diverse background. We were all students. When they looked up at me as I passed on my way to the restroom, it's as if I could read their minds. I knew how they were feeling.

I watched the sky turn from light to dark as I studied at my desk on the third floor. I walked out of the library with my take home final done, my course evaluations done, and a fairly good start on my geology paper. I mean, hey, I'm a college student; I had to leave a little procrastination in there still!