Finals

[OnlySunshine]

I hate final exams.  I had 2 and my Latin exam was the most difficult since it was cumulative.  I had an "A" in the class before the exam and I'm sure it dropped to a "B."  :(  The other "final" wasn't a final at all but it was today (finals week).  I got a "B" on that, so I'm happy.  ;)

[Lilllabettt]

I have never had a worse time with finals. never never never.  this is hell week plus im sick. please say a prayer for me

[PhuturePriest]

I have never had a worse time with finals. never never never.  this is hell week plus im sick. please say a prayer for me

 

Mercy is for the weak.

[AnneLine]

Oh, I have great empathy for you, Lillliabettt... and for you as well Mater.  Until you've experienced college exams --- and especially grad school exams --- you may not totally get it, Miles.  They can be brutal!  Especially if you are sick, or if you have spent days or nights or hours trying to write giant papers and study... and then walk into an exam that looks like it was created on Mars and written in High Saturnian.  They can truly be brutal.

 

I'm praying for all of you..... take as good care of yourselves as you can.  Getting an A isn't the important thing... doing the best you can and loving God is the most important thing.    We're cheering for you!!!!

[OnlySunshine]

Oh, I have great empathy for you, Lillliabettt... and for you as well Mater.  Until you've experienced college exams --- and especially grad school exams --- you may not totally get it, Miles.  They can be brutal!  Especially if you are sick, or if you have spent days or nights or hours trying to write giant papers and study... and then walk into an exam that looks like it was created on Mars and written in High Saturnian.  They can truly be brutal.

 

I'm praying for all of you..... take as good care of yourselves as you can.  Getting an A isn't the important thing... doing the best you can and loving God is the most important thing.    We're cheering for you!!!!

 

I can be very hard on myself, especially with my past issues of absenteeism and not giving a flying fig about my work.  I worked hard to turn that around but I am my own worst critic.  I think I'm becoming somewhat of a perfectionist.  My mom and family assure me that my grades are really good but I work hard not to slip into old habits (which DO die hard!).  I've got 2 classes online and 2 on-campus next semester so we'll see how that goes.  I'm just glad to be done with everything this semester.  Phew! 
 

[ChristinaTherese]

Oh goodness, Lilllabettt, I'll definitely pray for you. And grad school exams are probably worse than the ones I've got to handle.... (I'm lucky I guess in that I got the worst out of the way today and I'm not too worried about the two I have tomorrow or the paper I'm gonna try to finish by Wednesday.... It would have been easier if I hadn't been set back because I chose to go to my aunt's funeral. I wouldn't make a different choice if I had it again, but the quarter has been rough since then. I'm glad it's almost over.)

[TheresaThoma]

So I start running the marathon tomorrow. I'm debating on whether or not to go to Welsh class (this is not part of my school work) my thought is not to go. I already gave up time going to the Christmas tea so I don't think I will make it to class. I have a couple of papers due and then it is all over.

[TheresaThoma]

My friend posted this on FB and it is exactly what I needed to hear right now

“Jesus is waiting for you in the chapel. Go and find him when your strength and patience are giving out, when you feel lonely and helpless. Say to Him: ‘You know well what is happening, my dear Jesus. I have only You. Come to my aid ...’ And then go your way. And don’t worry about knowing how you are going to manage. It is enough to have told our good Lord. He has an excellent memory.” -St. Jeanne Jugan

[ChristinaTherese]

My friend posted this on FB and it is exactly what I needed to hear right now

“Jesus is waiting for you in the chapel. Go and find him when your strength and patience are giving out, when you feel lonely and helpless. Say to Him: ‘You know well what is happening, my dear Jesus. I have only You. Come to my aid ...’ And then go your way. And don’t worry about knowing how you are going to manage. It is enough to have told our good Lord. He has an excellent memory.” -St. Jeanne Jugan

Thank you. There should be no argument: I am going to Mass tomorrow morning as if my life depends on it. Maybe it does. At any rate, if I start the morning right I'll be sane through the day. So I needed to hear that, because I was debating and wondering if it would be too cold or whatever. I have wool. I'm 20. I'll manage. Even if I don't get breakfast, but I will get breakfast. So, again, thank you very much for posting that. I needed to hear it too.

[LinaSt.Cecilia2772]

Mercy is for the weak.

 

Ha! You won't be saying that when you're in college taking final exams young man!

[LinaSt.Cecilia2772]

Yeah this week sucks.

 

Have four more exams to go this week, already had my first one for spanish today. Wednesday I have a paper due as part of the final and the actual exam for history, thursday is my music final, and friday I have Economics and my Veritas Symposium.

 

I'm trying not to think about all the stuff I have to do and freak myself out, but it's boiling up to it soon. Just gotta remember that I'm too blessed to be stressed, and that I'm lucky to have the opportunity to be in college and stuff like that.

 

Good luck to everyone else taking finals, definitely praying for everyone!

[AnneLine]

Couple of ideas beyond what I have already said...

 

Do what you can, don't do what you can't.  Take care of yourself - soul, spirit AND body.  Be gentle with yourselves.

 

One priest-teacher I had at one point said something on 1st day of Hell week that I loved:  He told us that for this week, our study could become our prayer if we let it.  He said that right then, we needed to ask God to come and study in and through us.... and we needed to pray for all those who would benefit through what we were learning, degrees we were earning, etc.  He then said that this general intention was enough to get HUGE blessings on our study, and that we should ignore temptations to think otherwise.

THEN he suggested that we find a candle (or a battery-candle if preferred) and set it up near our study area.  We were to turn it on and when we saw it, to remember that God was in this holy place.  And when we got tired/sad/frustrated/scared, we were to Find God in the midst of it.

 

It sounds hokey, but you know... it works.

 

AND... I am partial to the on-line 24/7 adoration chapel in Louisville that has the Blessed Sacrament on webcam.  During finals (and yes, sometimes when I have a difficult call to make, etc.) I will leave Him up on the monitor.  It is NOT the same as being in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, no..... but it is rather like Skyping with Him... because it IS very similar to skyping with Him.   So... let Him watch you at your studies, and share your problems and frustrations with him... and your joys and triumphs.  Read him your papers and ask Him to help you memorize stuff... .   again, you may be VERY surprised....

 

Here's the link:  (The go-to-live webcam link is in the middle of the page....)

 

http://www.stmartinoftourschurch.org/sample-page/perpetual-eucharistic-adoration/

 

Hope this helps, and it is time for ALL of you to :cloud9:

 

Praying for you!

 

[Luigi]

I understand the importance of final exams. I'm not treating them as if they're insignificant. However, to reduce the stress on yourself...

 

1. Think of finals as your opportunity to prove what you've learned all semester. You HAVE learned - you mostly know most of this stuff now (assuming you've been assiduous throughout the semester, gone to class, took notes, done your homework, and so forth). So you get to show the prof - and yourself - how much you've learned.

 

2. A test is still a learning experience - or at least it can be. If it's comprehensive, it's a chance for you to pull all the information you've learned throughout the semester into a new synthesis - knowledge. (This is based on the idea that DATA = facts, INFORMATION = facts assembled into a systematic order, KNOWLEDGE = information (creatively) applied to real life.) A final exam can be a chance to snap all this information together into new knowledge.

 

3. A final exam won't usually change your semester grade. That depends on a lot of factors, of course:

     - Is the final a "must pass" or you get no credit for the class? Few classes are set up that way.

     - How many points is the final worth? If it's less than 25% of the semester grade, it probably won't have a huge impact on your grade.

     - But a final exam can pull a high C into a B or a high B into an A.

     - So run the numbers - get out the syllabus, turn to the grading section, get out all of your work to date, and calculate. How many points do you have so far? If you get a 100 on  the final, how will that affect your grade? If you get a 90? If you get an 80?

 

4. Pick your poison. Which classes must you absolutely pass? What grades must you achieve on those finals to pass those classes? Put the most effort into those classes. Which classes would it be well to excel in - those in your major, but not necessarily the general education requirements? Put the next most effort into those classes. In which classes would you be happy to take a B (or C) but be done with them?

 

5. Lastly, remember - everything that happens in college is preparation for the real world. You WILL have to produce under deadline pressure, all sorts of important assignments WILL converge in the same timeframe with no regard for the other work you have to get done, there WON'T be enough hours in the day, and so forth. In getting through finals, you are developing skills that you'll need in your future career.

 

Best of luck!
 

[ChristinaTherese]

Thank you. There should be no argument: I am going to Mass tomorrow morning as if my life depends on it. Maybe it does. At any rate, if I start the morning right I'll be sane through the day. So I needed to hear that, because I was debating and wondering if it would be too cold or whatever. I have wool. I'm 20. I'll manage. Even if I don't get breakfast, but I will get breakfast. So, again, thank you very much for posting that. I needed to hear it too.

I didn't. The forecast said it might snow, and this is a pretty steep hill. Less than half an inch of snow is still snow, and I don't feel like falling and stumbling down the hill today. No.... Not when there could be snow and it's above 32 degrees out.

 

And I'll be done with everything in less than 6 hours! And then the break.... So good.

[BG45]

You all sound so busy and stressed and definitely have my prayers!  You all can do it pholks! :cheer:  Though some of the stuff mentioned sure is diverse...Welsh, History, Art, etc.  3/4 of my Finals are tomorrow.

 

Sounds like a good idea to me.... Especially with a ton of work on my plate all due in seven hours. (My that feels better, that it's due in a whole seven hours. I know I can do it if I'm disciplined with my breaks. Or maybe I'm just repeating that because I dread the other option... like the little engine that could.)

 

That's fantastic. I wonder if your students who select c have slightly lower scores on the final than the others... I know I never bother to check my answers on the last final. I just want to turn it and and leave. Whatever I might have missed was probably minor anyway.

 

 

Hmm, good question!  Used to do the same thing with C sometimes if in a bind, because of it being the most common answer supposedly.  I can tell you with 100% certainty if they select D the whole way through, their scores will be extremely low. :|  And usually your first instinct is your best on multiple choice, so you're probably right on the minor stuff!  It's when people go back and begin to second guess themselves that bad things happen.