Annnndd we are in the home stretch people!

So here we are, ready to enter the final week. There are many ways you can approach this final week, and the experience will be different for every student. When students ask me what I do for finals, I always tell them the same thing.

My finals week usually starts with tension that begins to drain away as the days go by. I find it true that the only antidote for student tension is to study. I study, berate myself when I'm not studying, feel guilty, study some more, agonize over concepts that I'm not sure that I understand, and then study some more. I force myself to go to bed and arise at reasonable times and forbid naps to regulate a good sleep schedule for finals week. I temporarily cut out sugar, caffeine, and alcohol from my diet and stick to foods that will be kind to my digestive system. Most importantly, I make time to play. I make a point of stopping the study process the night before my finals to do something silly like play Mario Party, watch some Law and Order, or mess with my cats (cats + blinky Christmas lights = awesome combination).

By the time I have entered the final I am alert and a little nervous but calm. As I write the exam, my tension that has been slowly decreasing fully drains away. By the time I write my last thought and re-read my last sentence, I am at peace with myself. I get up and shake the hand of my teacher, thanking them, and taking a moment to remind myself the purpose of this class and the reason why I am here and more importantly, the reason that they are here.

When I leave I don't look back, don't think about what was right, or what I got wrong. I know inside that I have done everything in my power to prepare. How everything turns out is no reflection of my ability to put forth effort anymore.

If you can leave your finals with a feeling of peace and confidence, then I think you probably have truly accomplished what you have set out to achieve this quarter. If you don't feel this way, be gentle with yourself. Remind yourself that the world is bigger then just you. If you would pick any time in your school life to mess up and do something truly horrible, this community college would be the best possible place to make that mistake.

I wish you all a happy holidays and a prosperous finals week. Study hard!