Dead week

[Ada Lovelace]

I'm curious to know if your college campus has any traditions to help alleviate stress during the notoriously taxing dead week before final exams when everyone is feverishly studying. At my college everyone lets out a primal scream at midnight every night during dead week for catharsis in unity, haha. A sweeter tradition is that the administration sends late-night study snacks to all the residences. Many departments also provide snacks. At a friend's campus they have therapy dogs for students to play with during dead week. I'm sort of disappointed to be missing my first dead week because I'm at home sick. C'est la vie.

How many finals do you have this term? I have five. How do you feel about your finals? Are you nervous? Confident? Do you have any study strategies or habits? I think I'll be fine by next week but feel like my brain is on dial-up speed currently due to being ill.

Did you have many final projects or papers this term? I just submitted my last and largest research paper (42 pages!) of the term, and feel like this elephant that had been sitting on me has finally moved on. It's such an exhilarating feeling of relief.

 

[Bananagator]

My school has stress relieving activities in the student center the week before finals. Stuff like Play-Doh, puzzles, arts and crafts, etc. Freshman year my friend and I potted bamboo plants

This year I have four finals, a lab report, and a presentation to do. I still need to study a lot but none of my finals are cumulative, which I am so, SO happy about. Now that I'm in my upper division courses the exams are much more about actually testing our knowledge and less about trying to suck the will to live out of the entire class. Although I'm not entirely thrilled about that 8 am Monday Thermodynamics final :/

A 42 page research paper? Wowww that sounds horrible! My lab report isn't ALLOWED to be more than 10 pages!

Sorry that you're sick so close to finals. I know what that's like, and it's the worst. Hope you feel better soon, and good luck!

 

[keith99]

Wow things have changed.

Only thing I ever remember getting was a cup of coffee from the chem department when I was hoping for a delay in taking an exam. It was about 8 am and I had just finished a 24 hour take home exam and hadn't started studying for the 1:00 exam. Chem department coffee does seem to bring good luck, I aced the exam (and the prof reminded me of that).

 

[Cearbhall]

I'm curious to know if your college campus has any traditions to help alleviate stress during the notoriously taxing dead week before final exams when everyone is feverishly studying.

I'm curious, do you have classes during dead week? We do, and I thought everyone did, until I found out about the concept of a "reading week" from someone who goes to another university.

 

[keith99]

I'm curious, do you have classes during dead week? We do, and I thought everyone did, until I found out about the concept of a "reading week" from someone who goes to another university.

A university with British roots by any chance? I remember references to reading for exams in the context of British Universities (Oxford and Cambridge).

 

[Cearbhall]

A university with British roots by any chance? I remember references to reading for exams in the context of British Universities (Oxford and Cambridge).

When I studied abroad in Britain, there was a whole reading month in-between classes and exams. Crazy stuff.

 

[seashale76]

A university with British roots by any chance? I remember references to reading for exams in the context of British Universities (Oxford and Cambridge).

My university has a reading week. It's not British.

I've got four finals this week. One regular final exam and three proctored exams I have to make a certain level on, which are averaged into my course grades. If I fail to reach the designated levels, I have to spend time remediating and then come back on another day to retake the exam.

They're having an ugly sweater holiday pizza party on Monday sometime.

 

[DabriaShae]

Oh Dead Week, my favorite time of year- NOT. My campus offers a finals breakfast the Sunday before finals week as well as therapy dogs (Puppies and Puppy Chow) the Wednesday before. Often times, though, the campus is more dead than usual. The students here are very studious and spend the entire week indoors studying for exams and packing for break.

Personally, I have four finals and a final jury. I believe one final is an online exam- which makes it that much easier. I'm quite nervous for my exams this semester. This semester has been uncharacteristically difficult what with illness, both physical and mental, affecting my ability perform and my grades are lackluster. I do, however, do fairly well on exams. I just have to take it one day at a time. I have one final every day next week so I plan on studying the night before that way it's fresh. I have a piano jury due sometime next week that I'm not prepared for at all. With everything I've been dealing with this semester, it's left little time to do any practicing and I'm supposed to have a song memorized by this Wednesday. Oops! I also need to have a play memorized by the end of this week so I can perform on Monday of finals week.

I don't like to think about it though. (;

 

[Cearbhall]

My campus offers a finals breakfast the Sunday before finals week as well as therapy dogs (Puppies and Puppy Chow) the Wednesday before.

Yep, we usually have therapy cats and dogs one of the days.

 

[Ada Lovelace]

My school has stress relieving activities in the student center the week before finals. Stuff like Play-Doh, puzzles, arts and crafts, etc. Freshman year my friend and I potted bamboo plants

This year I have four finals, a lab report, and a presentation to do. I still need to study a lot but none of my finals are cumulative, which I am so, SO happy about. Now that I'm in my upper division courses the exams are much more about actually testing our knowledge and less about trying to suck the will to live out of the entire class. Although I'm not entirely thrilled about that 8 am Monday Thermodynamics final :/

A 42 page research paper? Wowww that sounds horrible! My lab report isn't ALLOWED to be more than 10 pages!

Sorry that you're sick so close to finals. I know what that's like, and it's the worst. Hope you feel better soon, and good luck!

"Love, luck, and lollipops" = I have the first one but am in need of the second two this week. It's awesome your school has some many activities to alleviate stress during Dead Week! My campus needs some Play-Doh and bamboo plants. We do have a very boisterous student section for football games, and I think it was therapeutic for students to scream and cheer from it when we played USC. I so wish I could have been there in person.

May the force be with you while you're taking your Thermodynamics final tomorrow! Are you a STEM major?

I've written eleven papers this quarter, and the shortest one was 14 pages. The 42 page paper was for my PoliSci class on Civil War and International Politics that focused on Syria, and was emotionally as well as intellectually draining.

Thanks for the get well wishes! I'm slowly beginning to perk back up. Our final exams begin tomorrow, but my doctor has submitted the forms for me to take the make up exams later this week. She thinks I need a few more days still. I'm flying up on the 10th.

Wow things have changed.

Only thing I ever remember getting was a cup of coffee from the chem department when I was hoping for a delay in taking an exam. It was about 8 am and I had just finished a 24 hour take home exam and hadn't started studying for the 1:00 exam. Chem department coffee does seem to bring good luck, I aced the exam (and the prof reminded me of that).

On the bright side at least you got a free cup of coffee! I've never gotten one at Stanford.

I'm curious, do you have classes during dead week? We do, and I thought everyone did, until I found out about the concept of a "reading week" from someone who goes to another university.

We do still have classes during dead week, though professors are not supposed to give any assignments then. All our classes are video recorded and posted to Axess, so I just watched them since I was ill.

I'd love to have a reading week.

My university has a reading week. It's not British.

I've got four finals this week. One regular final exam and three proctored exams I have to make a certain level on, which are averaged into my course grades. If I fail to reach the designated levels, I have to spend time remediating and then come back on another day to retake the exam.

They're having an ugly sweater holiday pizza party on Monday sometime.

*Sniffs* I missed an ugly sweater holiday party last week. We have some fabulously hideous Christmas sweaters at the campus book store.

I hope you do really well on your exams!!!!

Oh Dead Week, my favorite time of year- NOT. My campus offers a finals breakfast the Sunday before finals week as well as therapy dogs (Puppies and Puppy Chow) the Wednesday before. Often times, though, the campus is more dead than usual. The students here are very studious and spend the entire week indoors studying for exams and packing for break.

Personally, I have four finals and a final jury. I believe one final is an online exam- which makes it that much easier. I'm quite nervous for my exams this semester. This semester has been uncharacteristically difficult what with illness, both physical and mental, affecting my ability perform and my grades are lackluster. I do, however, do fairly well on exams. I just have to take it one day at a time. I have one final every day next week so I plan on studying the night before that way it's fresh. I have a piano jury due sometime next week that I'm not prepared for at all. With everything I've been dealing with this semester, it's left little time to do any practicing and I'm supposed to have a song memorized by this Wednesday. Oops! I also need to have a play memorized by the end of this week so I can perform on Monday of finals week.

I don't like to think about it though. (;

Aw. I've been sick twice this quarter so I definitely understand how it can knock you down and make it difficult to pick yourself back up and regain your speed. Just try to stay calm and carry on, as the saying goes. I hope you can memorize the song and the play on time, and that you do fantastically well on your final exams.

 

[Bananagator]

"Love, luck, and lollipops" = I have the first one but am in need of the second two this week. It's awesome your school has some many activities to alleviate stress during Dead Week! My campus needs some Play-Doh and bamboo plants. We do have a very boisterous student section for football games, and I think it was therapeutic for students to scream and cheer from it when we played USC. I so wish I could have been there in person.

May the force be with you while you're taking your Thermodynamics final tomorrow! Are you a STEM major?

I've written eleven papers this quarter, and the shortest one was 14 pages. The 42 page paper was for my PoliSci class on Civil War and International Politics that focused on Syria, and was emotionally as well as intellectually draining.

Thanks for the get well wishes! I'm slowly beginning to perk back up. Our final exams begin tomorrow, but my doctor has submitted the forms for me to take the make up exams later this week. She thinks I need a few more days still. I'm flying up on the 10th.

There's nothing better to get you through finals like lollipops!

My finals don't actually start until next week; I've got another week of class But thank you! And yeah, I'm in engineering hahaha.

Aw man, those papers sound intense :O I'll never complain about a lab report again!

 

[Ada Lovelace]

I love that so many colleges have puppies for students to play with during dead week to help alleviate stress and induce smiles. I found out that my school also has them on campus, but I'm missing out because I'm still at home sick. At least I do have my own marvelous cats and dogs for personal pet therapy. My grandpa is visiting us at the moment and brought his dogs with him, so I have them as well. They honestly have made me feel so much better.

 

[Ada Lovelace]

 

[Butterfly99]

I wish we had puppies at my school during finals. We don't get ANY of what y'all have at your colleges.

 

[blackribbon]

All I ever got for dead week was the concept that we were not to get any major exams that week...but that didn't mean the professors followed it. I didn't have a "dead" week at the school I got my nursing degree from and had completely forgotten about it.

 

[Ada Lovelace]

Have you ever been sick while taking a final? I have two today - one in an hour - and feel like I can't breathe, literally. It's not a panic attack but a lung infection. I am starting to feel very panicky, though, because I am worried I won't be able to retrieve all the information I put into my brain. I feel like I have glass in my lungs and a vice on my head.

I felt fine this morning! Idk what to do. I'm scared other students will hate me if I cough all through the finals. I am already taking exams I was supposed to have done on Monday on Saturday during a make-up session.

 

[keith99]

Have you ever been sick while taking a final? I have two today - one in an hour - and feel like I can't breathe, literally. It's not a panic attack but a lung infection. I am starting to feel very panicky, though, because I am worried I won't be able to retrieve all the information I put into my brain. I feel like I have glass in my lungs and a vice on my head.

I felt fine this morning! Idk what to do. I'm scared other students will hate me if I cough all through the finals. I am already taking exams I was supposed to have done on Monday on Saturday during a make-up session.

I'm pretty sure I have. I'm positive I was running a fever of 100 plus when I took the SAT Subject matter tests.

That said I think you may well be sicker than I ever was for an exam. Just a little sick isn't all that bad, the body goes into overdrive, a lot sick is way different.

 

[seashale76]

Have you ever been sick while taking a final? I have two today - one in an hour - and feel like I can't breathe, literally. It's not a panic attack but a lung infection. I am starting to feel very panicky, though, because I am worried I won't be able to retrieve all the information I put into my brain. I feel like I have glass in my lungs and a vice on my head.

I felt fine this morning! Idk what to do. I'm scared other students will hate me if I cough all through the finals. I am already taking exams I was supposed to have done on Monday on Saturday during a make-up session.

I'm sorry you feel horrible. Hope you feel better soon!

I once turned in a final term paper for my Master's while suffering from strep throat. I didn't go to the last class, but I did make a trip to campus to turn it in to the professor in her office (was still febrile). This was back when it still wasn't acceptable to turn in things in a designated on-line dropbox or via e-mail. I was docked an entire letter grade for it. She even had originally given me a higher grade and then crossed it out with her little comment explaining why. My illness was no excuse.

 

[Butterfly99]

I'm sorry you feel horrible. Hope you feel better soon!

I once turned in a final term paper for my Master's while suffering from strep throat. I didn't go to the last class, but I did make a trip to campus to turn it in to the professor in her office (was still febrile). This was back when it still wasn't acceptable to turn in things in a designated on-line dropbox or via e-mail. I was docked an entire letter grade for it. She even had originally given me a higher grade and then crossed it out with her little comment explaining why. My illness was no excuse.

That was kinda harsh of that professor cause she should have been able to see that you were sick if you turned it in in person. We turn lots of our stuff in online so teachers are way stricter about it cause lots of kids will say they're sick when they're not.

 

[Butterfly99]

Have you ever been sick while taking a final? I have two today - one in an hour - and feel like I can't breathe, literally. It's not a panic attack but a lung infection. I am starting to feel very panicky, though, because I am worried I won't be able to retrieve all the information I put into my brain. I feel like I have glass in my lungs and a vice on my head.

I felt fine this morning! Idk what to do. I'm scared other students will hate me if I cough all through the finals. I am already taking exams I was supposed to have done on Monday on Saturday during a make-up session.

That really stinks. I'm sorry you're sick, Ella. I hope you still do great on your finals cause you'e worked so hard. I've never been sick during a final. There was a kid who was super sick last yr. He kept unwrapping cough drops during the whole test. Maybe you can unwrap them b4 the exam starts & just have them on your desk already.