As referenced in an earlier post titled, “Finals Week: Campus Resources to Help Show Your Finals Who’s Boss,” Study Day is one of the more bittersweet days at Grove City College. A day completely dedicated to studying for final exams, it is a gift that should not be taken for granted, but it also marks the beginning of the long, hard exam process. During Study Day, and throughout the rest of the week, many different faculty members hold extended office hours that are tailored to the classes they teach. Sometimes, professors even hold review seminars for entire classes. To be able to come and talk to professors on a personal basis about final exam content can prove to be one of the single most beneficial aspects of Academic Assistance.
Some people wake up at 7 am on the Thursday before finals begin in order to reserve rooms in the Hall of Arts and Letters. Others pack up their bags and trek down to lower campus to camp out in Carnegie Alumni Center for the day. Many of my friends like to walk over to Beans on Broad for the coffee shop atmosphere and change of scenery. It’s here: Study Day.
Depending on the type of environment you enjoy working in, there are many different options for studying. Many people like the disciplined atmosphere of an academic building, like The Hall of Arts and Letters or STEM Hall, while others like the warm fireplaces and plush carpets in Carnegie Alumni–which is my favorite place on Study Day. About a week before Study Day, we receive an email inviting students to visit Carnegie Alumni, where they have many different rooms available for studying, and provide free food! You can grab pizza, hot beverages, and other snacks while you’re there, and there are fireplaces. Basically, there isn’t a more hospitable place to study for the day before exams come! Other people, however, love studying in their rooms. Everything they need is already there, and it’s a quiet place to study. Since there are quiet hours during finals week, it’s also a quiet place to be, and you don’t even have to get out of your pajamas, if you don’t feel like it!
But, one of the best part about Study Day is the traditions you create.
Every year, three of my friends and I would drive to a little neighboring restaurant for the cheapest breakfast in the history of… probably ever. We wake up early, throw on our sweatpants, whip our hair up into messy ponytails, and spend the morning eating cinnamon rolls the size of our faces.
Tell me that does not look amazing!**
We blast the same music through the car speakers every year, and drive to grab some coffee on the go before we get ready to study for the day. It’s a tradition that sets the tone for the entire day, and it’s something positive we always look forward to before the craziness of finals hits.
So while the studying part is the most important part of Study Day, my favorite part is actually looking forward to the beginning of the most stressful week of the semester with friends who love me even if I don’t ace my Research Methods exam.
After all, twenty years from now, the part I’ll remember won’t be which building I studied in, but laughing in the car and huge, warm cinnamon rolls.
** Photo Credit to The Camelot Restaurant in Slippery Rock, PA.
Grove City College senior Machaela Irving has spent the past few years excelling here as a Communication Studies major. Finals Week is often the most stressful time of the year for college students at any school but Machaela has some great advice and tips to share during this time of year. From Newtown, PA, Machaela offers this piece of wisdom for deciding on colleges: “I wish someone had encouraged me to pray about my decision more. Following the Lord’s will and listening to Him is always better than trying to figure it out on your own!”