This is what attending a top-tier university will make you think—that lengthy research papers are fun to write. And I will tell you that compared to sitting for three hours to take a final exam, papers are fun.
By the time anyone else is reading this, it will have been at least two weeks since my last final. I could very well pretend it has taken me this long to recover from them, but that simply isn't true. I can honestly say, speaking as both a student and a Hillside Market employee, that my first finals truly weren't that bad. (I believe I just tempted the fates by this so I hope you appreciate the peace of mind I've allowed you to have about your first finals, should you come to the University of Rochester.)
As a first semester freshman, I had four classes: chemistry, math, Introduction to Biomedical Engineering (BME), and a writing class. However, I only had to sit for my math and chemistry finals. For my writing class, I had to write a final research paper and give a presentation on it in class. We were able to choose our topic, which even made this assignment . . . fun.
For my BME class, we had to pick a partner and research a topic pertinent to biomedical engineering. My friend and I researched cryogenic preservation. With all the research I did in the last month of school, it's like I took a final on how to use the library. We had to create a sixteen-slide PowerPoint, print it out, organize it on a poster board, and present it at a three-hour poster session.
I've included the picture from our title slide. The poster session went very well, and although we didn't win any prizes, we did get compliments from many of the judges. Perhaps even more importantly, we grew accustomed to presenting our work to others, a very valuable skill, especially for those who wish to get involved in the plentiful undergraduate research opportunities here. (I'll admit I'm one of those people, but more about that in the future, possibly next month).
As I've stated previously, I sat for my math and chemistry finals and those went very well. Both professors prepared us for the finals, and the three-day reading period was quite useful for studying. However, I advise not getting sick during this time, as I spent one day of the reading period sleeping, drinking liters of water (four, if you were curious), and watching Pocahontas.
I can tell you that the majority of students on campus spent their reading period in the library. The University of Rochester is a medium-sized university, but usually it doesn't feel as populated as it should. However, during the reading period and finals week, the entire student population seems to relocate itself to the libraries.
It also feels like the entire student population comes to Hillside Market during finals time. The most popular items are energy drinks and candy. I had one guy buy a 3-lb bag of candy. Another bought the whole box of Kit Kat bars. Admittedly, he was trying to use up his leftover declining . . . but finals week does funny things to people.
Students find their own way to get through it, whether it be spending every waking (and in some cases sleeping!) moment in the library, powering through with energy drinks and sugar rushes, or studying and sleeping in normal amounts. I survived my first finals with the latter.
How did you survive your finals?