I think one of my favorite things about finals week is to see how it progresses. The Saturday and Sunday before are technically our reading days. So everyone picks their spot in the library, the pub, or the coffee shop (or outside on a nice day) and gets serious about remembering all the information they learned this semester. Monday comes and 8:30am is the first final. If you are lucky, you won’t have one at this time. My advise is to just get up early anyway and keep studying. Three exams are given each day of finals week. They are all three hour slots, however, most professors will not make you sit there for all three hours. Some professors like to split it into two sections, one you get to take back to your dorm and finish before the end of the week, and the other being the actual exam portion.
Some classes, especially English classes, will do a final paper or portfolio instead of a written exam. This means instead of sitting in a classroom for a few hours, all you have to do is turn in the paper by a certain time during finals week. If you are smart and think ahead, you can create a schedule for yourself and get the paper or portfolio turned in before you start studying for your actual tests.
Usually by Wednesday people are packing up and leaving for the semester. It’s a slow goodbye to all your friends. Very few people leave on Saturday because the official rule is you have to be moved out 24 hours after your last final. Many classes can convince their professor to move the final if it is at any time on Friday, but sometimes you get stuck with a Friday afternoon or evening final.
By Wednesday people start celebrating. There are more people relaxing in the quad and less people in the library. This week has been so pretty that I have spent as much time as possible outside. I lucked out only having to take two finals this semester and was finished on Wednesday. Congratulations to everyone finishing their finals and congratulations to the seniors taking their last undergraduate finals!
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