Finals: How The Bell Ringer staff is conquering this week

By Timberly Fernandez | Staff Writer

The time is here, finals week. The feeling about finals is usually the same with everyone. Students are usually stressed and worried about exams and projects.

Some of the Bellringer staff: Lucy O’Keefe, Erin Colley, Julianna McGahee, Makenzy Veldboom and Timberly Fernandez tells us how they feel about finals and their strategies on conquering the week ahead.

Erin Colley:

“The end of the year with finals, it’s overwhelming because you feel like there’s not enough time as final projects and exams are coming your way. I would say I’m deathly feeling overwhelmed, but what helps me is just to try to take one thing at a time. I’ll make a list and I will only focus on one item of that list. I’ll try to get it done and then I mark it off. I just do one thing at a time because it helps me feel less overwhelmed, and then I feel productive when I can mark it off my list.”

“Another thing that motivates me is my friends. We did like a fun little Christmas night last night which was a nice little break, and it is also good to have people around me to just cheer me up and kind of give me a break before jumping back into this week and working hard again.”

“I think also, a countdown of just knowing that I just have to work really hard for one week and then I have a month off.”

“I don’t really know if it’s super helpful, but that’s one of my mentalities that I use. I think it’s just a part of the semester where you’re drained from all your classes, but you still have to finish strong. We have just this last little stretch that is hard but it’s also doable. Most of us have done it before so we know we can do it anyways.”

Lucy O’Keefe:

“As far as the end of the semester and all that goes, it’s definitely really hard. So as far as finals, end of semester, staying motivated and all that goes for me, it's definitely really hard.”

“I think it's harder, even as a senior. You're so close to being done and you're kind of over the whole college finals. I think it's important to just keep in mind you are almost done and to try and finish strong. It's also important to know your study habits and to know what works well for you and what doesn't. I think at any point in college, that's something that you need to figure out. And hopefully by the time you're a senior like me, you have it figured out, but things change, patterns change, and that type of thing. All that to say, knowing your study habits, knowing what works well for you and what does is important. Also, making a commitment to yourself to do what works well for you.”

“For instance, I cannot do homework, study or anything like that at home, or I will just never ever get it done. So, I have to make myself go to a coffee shop or go to the library. I need to literally get out of my own house and go somewhere else to grind out all my schoolwork. Piggybacking off of that, I love to kind of just save up all my stuff and procrastinate a little bit. I

like to knock it out and then knock it all out. I treat myself to a little coffee that afternoon and sit somewhere for like 4 hours at a time and then get a ton of stuff done.”

“Another thing is like studying with other people. Thankfully this semester, my finals aren't super stressful or anything, so I haven't really had to implement some of these. Studying with other people is always just a good way to have some interaction with people in your classes or friends. The biggest thing I think I would say is just knowing what works well for you trying to stay motivated towards the end of the semester and finishing strong and just knowing too, and taking it as an encouragement that you are so close to being done and that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and just reminding yourself how far you’ve come this semester and how much you’ve accomplished.”

Makenzy Veldboom:

“Currently my plan for getting through the rest of the semester is setting a game plan for every day and setting a goal of things I need to get done that day and absolutely making sure that I complete those goals. If it doesn’t happen that means I have to do twice as much work the next day. Also, in the midst of setting my game plan, I set a time to relax because if I just work the whole entire time, I will burn myself out and end up feeling hopeless.”

Julianna McGahee:

“As of right now, I’ll be honest and say that I am feeling the pressure of finals. I don’t have many final exams which I am grateful for, but I do have a fair number of final projects. I’ve been feeling very stressed this semester, but I have continued to keep my priorities in line and remain motivated. To stay motivated in such a stressful time, I make sure to set time aside to do schoolwork and study. Through doing that, I am able to complete all my tasks and not procrastinate, which has been very helpful this semester. I am going to miss this semester and the friendships that I have made. This was a very challenging semester in many ways and I am ready to move on to what is next!”

Timberly Fernandez:

“I am thankful that this semester has not been hard for me or stressful. The only “finals” I have is usually projects. However, I am a big procrastinator. I will wait everything out and then try to complete a day or two before it’s due. It’s not a healthy way to get things done, but I think I work well under pressure. That also plays out on how I stay motivated as well. It is something that needs to be done as soon as possible so it becomes top priority. I’ve had stressful semester before where I thought I was going to lose myself into school, so that now I’ve had a chill semester, I feel weird.”

“The end of the semester is always weird to me. I do not like change, so even though I am a senior, it’s hard for me. The feeling of finals is always weary to me. Everyone around is so stressed out about school and trying to push through. I am going to miss this semester because it was not as stressful as others and I had all my friends in my classes. Next semester, however, is going to be so stressful. So, I will probably not have the same feeling I have this semester.”

Contact Timberly Fernandez at tifernandez@augusta.edu