No rest for the living: Students start studying for finals during ‘dead week’

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Managing time well, planning ahead and spreading out the workload is just one way students can relieve some unnecessary stress as finals quickly approach. (Archive photo by Parker Robb)

There’s nothing dead about “dead week” at Kansas State University as students start preparing for finals week, beginning this coming Monday.

Cole Miller, junior in psychology, has four finals, but he said he was most nervous for his accounting final. As a business minor, Miller said Accounting 241 is a final he expects to be difficult.

“I read over my notes a lot,” Miller said. “For accounting, I do lots of practice problems.”

Tana Pearson, junior in athletic training, said she uses a similar study strategy for her course material.

“I go over all the PowerPoints and notes I have,” Pearson said. “I also use Quizlet a lot.”

Quizlet is a website that provides free study tools and flashcards to students who need them. Kate Torline, sophomore in mass communications, also said she uses Quizlet as a study strategy.

“I like making flashcards, that’s what I do the most,” Torline said. “My go-to is Quizlet.”

While other students are stressed about finals, Piper Wiley, junior in human development and family science, technically doesn’t have any final exams — but that doesn’t mean she isn’t busy.

“I have three papers and four tests, but no legitimate finals,” Wiley said.

For Wiley, this is preferable to actually taking finals, she said.

“I’d rather do a paper because it gives you a lot more time to do it,” Wiley said. “I can think about it and process it rather than just doing a multiple-choice exam.”

Wiley added that she still likes to find a quiet place to study and sit with all her materials to review. The ideal study space differs from student to student.

“The Union has a lot of tables I like to spread out at,” Pearson said.

Miller said he studies at home or in the Student Union. However, Torline said she can’t study at home, and instead she turns to coffee shops or the Kedzie Hall library for a productive environment.

“I don’t like studying in my room because I get distracted and can’t focus,” Torline said.

Due to the roof fire in May 2018, the absence of study spaces in the currently closed Hale Library for the second semester in a row was also noted as unfortunate by more than one student.

“I guess we don’t have the library,” Miller said. “That used to be my place.”

“The library’s not available, so you have to find somewhere else,” Pearson said.

Hale should be an available study space for the fall 2019 finals, with the first floor projected to reopen that semester.

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I'm Macy Davis a former Collegian culture editor and a 2019 graduate in English. When I was not reading and writing (both for class and for fun), I was also a member of the nationally ranked K-State speech team.