After the fifteen weeks we spend in classes, everything comes to a close during what we call finals week. Once classes are over and the semester ends students have to take final exams. This one week of exams becomes a time where students either buckle down and finish the semester strong or they become a stressed out zombie who walks around with their laptop and an energy drink permanently attached to their hands. Thousands of students flock to the library and the tons of other study spots on campus where they can pull the dreaded “all-nighter” in order to get in all the material from the semester that they haven’t already. Remembering back to my freshman year finals week was horrible so here is a Junior’s guide to surviving Finals Week

1. Start studying early: You do not have to (nor should you) wait until Finals week to start studying. It is highly encouraged to start studying for your finals as early as possible, especially if you have cumulative finals (meaning it covers material from the entire semester).

2. Be Prepared: Know where your finals are, what time they start, and have a plan for how early you want to arrive for different ones. Also prepare yourself for different test environments. You may be taking a final in a computer lab or you could be taking it in a classroom on a scantron with 300 other people in the room. Either way make sure you are prepared and have the necessary tools because getting to your 8 am Math final and realizing you forgot your calculator in your dorm room might put a damper on your day.

3.Get some rest: I definitely understand the stress that finals week can cause and how having four finals may force you to lose some sleep but a week full of all nighters is probably not the best idea. It has been proven that people who are well rested perform better on exams than those who are not. Remembering it is okay to take a break!

4.Utilize the Resources on Campus: Penn State and some student organizations offers a number of initiatives to help students get through finals week like The annual “Late Night Study Break” in the dining commons. Students who have an on campus meal plan can go to dining commons areas to get a free (buffet style) meal. And a number of businesses downtown offer free coffee and sometimes snacks as well as an alternative place to study if you want to avoid wandering around the library to find somewhere to study.

These are just some of the tips to remember during Finals Week. Although most of the people on campus will be spending most of the week with their heads buried in a pile of books or drowning in flash cards you have to remember that as important as finals are they will be over in less than five days. So don’t stress too much and take a break and look at some memes like the ones below. Oh yeah and good luck!!

Midterms ! AHHH ! It is the fourth week of classes and the exams are starting to roll in. This week has been so busy as I had three exams and one paper due. I feel relieved now that most of them are over but  most if not all of my week has been me going back and forth from my apartment to class and then to the library. The library gets a little hectic around exam times and even more hectic when it gets close to finals. The best way to cope with all of the craziness is to find a cozy corner or nice big desk in the library and don’t leave until you’ve gotten everything done you need to get done. Some parts of the library stay open 24 hours so you can stay as long as you need to.

My favorite parts of the library are the knowledge commons in Pattee Library and the 5th floor of Paterno Library. The knowledge commons is an area of the library where students can sit at huge desks and get a bunch of work done. Paterno library has 5 different floors where students can go to do group work with other students or study by themselves and they can enjoy a nice view of campus. I actually love the libraries on campus. There are so many resources inside and with it being one of the largest university libraries in the country, there is always somewhere to study.

A view of West campus from the 5th floor of Paterno Library

As a junior here at Penn State, I have seen numerous concerts, free late night movies, and a host of amazing speakers. But I don’t think I was expecting it when I heard that Jay-Z was going to be making his final stop on his Magna Carter World Tour in State College. As the word spread around campus I saw it all over my timeline on twitter but I didn’t believe it until Onward State (one of our Penn State based publications) tweeted that it was true–Jay-Z was going to be coming to The Bryce Jordan Center in January. My friends and I speculated over where we wanted to sit in the BJC, how much we were going to spend on tickets, and who we thought Jay-Z might bring with him.

The student ticket sale–that gives students a discounted price for shows that come to the Bryce Jordan Center–was two days after the initial announcement. My friends lined up at 8:30 am for our tickets and we all took turns switching in and out of our spot in line to go to class. As the time neared for the ticket sales to start I heard about how long the lines were at all four locations on campus. I even heard the first person to get in line at the HUB got there at 1 am to be first. My friends and I looked out as the line we stood in went down the steps, down the block and wrapped around a nearby building–we were so glad we got in line early. Needless to say, I got my ticket to see Jay-Z and I cannot wait until January 31st !! Hopefully he brings Beyonce and Blue Ivy with him.

My ticket to the concert !

The line that comes down from Eisenhower Auditorium and begins to wrap around The Life Sciences Building on campus.

Hello everyone,

My name is Ashley Walker and I am a Junior here at Penn State majoring in Sociology with a minor in Information Systems and Statistical Analysis. I am from Philadelphia, PA  and I loooove Penn State ! I am currently an intern for The Undergraduate Admissions Office and I am here to tell you about all things Penn State–from a student’s perspective. I hope you enjoy my blogs and if you do follow me on twitter and instagram for even more things Penn State ! @Ashley__PSU