Fresh Perspectives

“It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year”

With that statement I cannot disagree, HOWEVER, for college students I might also add that it’s undoubtedly one of the most stressful times of the year as well.  And a huge factor in most of our stress levels at the moment is EXAM WEEK.

Yes….college professors do give exams, they’re usually cumulative, and rarely is there any ‘slack’ given.  So, instead of giving into the ‘end of semester’ bug and completely throwing in the towel, we’re all forced to stay up late studying and craming our brains with the material we failed to learn (or remember) throughout the past 4 months.

Now, I don’t want to scare any high school senior, already nervous about entering college next year.  I promise you’ll have opportunities for study groups or study buddies, because we college students stick together –that’s right, you’re not in this alone.  The library is open 24 hours a day during exam week, so there’s always a nice quiet place to go for either a long study-a-thon or just a quick cram session.  And when all else fails, and those little eyes are fighting to stay open, Starbucks is always ready to come to your rescue. In Hawaii, I have 2 on my tiny campus and 3 in the small town of Hilo. 

Now, I hate coffee…personally, I think it tastes like dirty water.  But if I did like coffee I certainly wouldn’t buy it from Starbucks, which is taking over our country (along with McDonald’s and Wal-mart).  Okay, okay, I’ll save my hysterical ranting for a rainy day.  And you’re all quite lucky, I might add, since it’s actually not raining in Hilo for once!

But back to the point of exams, let me give some advice. 

• You know they’re coming, so start studying in ADVANCE.  (This is difficult since most of us are notorious for procrastination, but it will save loads of stress.)
• Get together for review sessions with other students in your class. (Two brains are more powerful than one.)
• Take one day at a time.  (Don’t over-stress about your Chem. final on Friday while you’re stressing about your History exam tomorrow.  Focus on your exams as they come.)
• On the day of the exam, eat a good breakfast. (I know I sound like a mom, but really, you’re body and brain will thank you and be able to function better with a little fuel.)

So yeah, hopefully those pointers will come to good use during exam week.  It’s also important to put these things into perspective.  Exams are nothing more than a few big tests lasting one week of the semester.  So, when it comes down to it, don’t get too stressed or anxious.  Everything will be just fine!

Until next time…Aloha! 

Posted by Kendall at 01:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

This past Saturday, after 3 intramural softball games, I decided to go for a quick swim at the beach with a few friends.  We were hot and tired, and knew splashing in the Pacific would be just the thing to cool us off.  As I was playing around in the water, I realized, “It’s December 1^st”.  Wow…I never thought I’d be in the ocean during the month of December!

And you know what December 1^st means….only 24 days until the best holiday of the year!  And yes, even though I do live in Hawaii, it’s beginning to look A LOT like Christmas around here.  Ashleigh, my roommate, and I have been playing our favorite Christmas carols in the apartment and watching all the holiday movies on TV.  (I think I’ve seen Will Ferrell in ‘Elf’ about 5 times now.)  We have a tiny Christmas tree perched atop our microwave (how ‘college-student-ish’ is that for ya?!) and two mini stockings lying out.

Besides being close to Christmas, December 1^st also means only 11 more days until I begin the long journey back to the mainland for winter break.  My flight departs out of Hilo on the 12^th and I take the red eye to Maui, then L.A., then Atlanta, and finally arrive in Charlotte the afternoon of the 13th.  Even though I’ve been anticipating my return for months, now that it’s finally almost here, I’m getting a little sad. It means I only have one more semester in Hawaii.  One more semester with the amazing friends I’ve met out here, and one more semester of this tropical climate and year-round beaching.  But we all make compromises in life, right?  Give a little here, take some there.  And I figure, even though I am going to say goodbye to Hilo forever this May, I look forward  to moving back to Gamecock country and the University of South Carolina….a little place I like to call HOME!

Until next time…ALOHA! 

Posted by Kendall at 05:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)