Nobody likes them. Nobody, ain’obody, obody likes final exams. They’re like those clown faces that you keep knocking down but inevitably pop back up to torment you once again.
At a closer glance, though, the week devoted to these despicable entities yields some interesting insights about the very human victims it claims.
If desperate times call for desperate measures, desperation breeds a certain brand of zaniness and ideality during the death week that all of us have to encounter. In fact, it can even seem that finals week draws out the true character of UCSD students, luring them out of their spider holes of humdrum banality when they have no choice but to go.
In the aftermath of fall quarter finals, much can be learned from the week everybody loves to hate.
For one thing, finals week actually gives students a chance to slow down. This may sound absurd, since eleventh week is but a condensed few days of stress and studying. But really, the quarter system, prevalent on most UC campuses, provides students with a perpetual sense of urgency. Ten weeks go by in a blink of an eye; a flurry of midterms, labs, papers and a frazzled student caught somewhere in between. I had a friend who had ten midterms during the quarter; it’s like some sick parade that we involuntarily have to attend in order to graduate. So it should come as something of a relief when an entire week is reserved for finals and only finals.
Yes, round-the-clock studying is probably in order, but when else do we get to structure time so individually? The reading schedule on syllabi is now irrelevant (as if it wasn’t before), and in many cases, what stands between an A- and a B+ is how you align the clock with the material.
It is only during finals week that students show their studying stamina and time-management mettle. The week goes by slowly because there is so much so-called ³free time² in students’ hands. Even procrastinators can rejoice ‹ the whole week is basically last-minute, so there’s less temptation to wait until the literal last minute.
Studying takes priority, but once a final is done, it is done. As final exams end, one by one, for better or for worse, students cling to the hope that at the end of the week, nothing will be left at the end of week. Students have a chance to channel their energies and concentrate at a steadier pace.
In a way, finals week brings an anomalous yet idealistic atmosphere. When else are classes actually filled to capacity levels? Besides midterm season, this is the only time when everyone enrolled shows up (the way it was meant to be, no?). When else are books opened, both in terms of pages and of plastic packaging?
Final exam scheduling allows for a fairly spread-out stream of students that contributes to a busy but not over-crowded Price Center Plaza. It is also nice knowing that the shuttle is hardly ever overflowing during this week as a result of the irregular schedule. The campus is charmingly bustling and it’s kind of amusing to see a cramming student positioned on each Library Walk block just before a final.
This may all sound somewhat irrelevant, even inappropriately so, in light of the seriousness of finals, but really, have you ever just paused for a moment and observed?
UCSD as an abbreviation is somewhat oxymoronic. The letters UC connote scholarly prestige, intense intellect and students of the highest academic pedigree and initiative. Read any college handbook or guide; it’ll tell you that and then some. On the other hand, think of SD or San Diego, and visions of shoreline leisure, fun in the sun and the distinctly Californian ethic of relaxation dance through your head. Combine the two, and UCSD paints a contrasting picture of both hardcore studying and hardcore partying.
Step into a UCSD library during finals week and it’s easy to see how this is the case. At Geisel, students swarm onto all floors to study to their hearts’ content. Geisel is a representation of the reputed academic strength that UCSD students bring to the school. Of course, it is anything but odd to find students at any university studying hard at the library the week of final exams.
Contrast venerable old Geisel to the eleventh-week scene at CLICS, and the character of UCSD emerges like a good wine enhancing the flavors of a meal. CLICS never closes during finals week. CLICS is bursting at the seams with students. Students, mind you, who litter the carpet with food wrappers, who bring sleeping bags, who clog the computer desks to sign on to AOL Instant Mesenger, who blast music on their CD players, who read magazines, who chat up a storm with their study buddies. Students actually dress up to go to CLICS in hopes of meeting some other similarly-minded people. The atmosphere resembles more of a slumber party than a study session.
It’s actually a lot of fun if you’re not too worried or serious about getting studying done. Around midnight, the CLICS staff hands out free coffee, and there is still a steady buzz of conversation into the wee hours of the night.
Anyone who complains about the dearth of social activity at UCSD obviously never has been to CLICS during finals week. The craziness and sheer energy of the place is entirely representative of UCSD. Frenzied studying, late night hours and friends make a combustible elixir only finals week can whip up.
Most students will have gone through at least 12 rounds of finals before graduation ‹ the groaning will never cease, and the end of the week will always be cause for celebration. I don’t like finals either. But sometimes, only in the midst of the most detestable times do the least detestable aspects become clear.
