Graduating Vindicated Class Shares Tips for Finals Week

April 30, 2018

WILMORE, Ky. – The last week of classes is a hectic time on Asbury’s campus as students make summer plans, enjoy end-of-the-year events, and, of course, study for final exams. No group of students has more to juggle than this year’s graduating seniors, but according to the Class of 2018, finals week will be no sweat. After four years of taking final exams, the Vindicated Class are a bunch of old pros.

In their four years on campus, the Vindicated Class will have experienced eight final exam weeks (one per semester). Given that every class requires a final, and if the average student takes 11 classes per year enrolled (or 31 credit hours), that’s a grand total of 44 final exams. Freshmen might feel woozy after seeing those numbers, but for members of the Vindicated Class, this last finals week is just the home stretch in the race to graduation.

So what insight can underclassmen gain from these seasoned test-takers? We all know sleep and time management are key to making the grade, but how have the seniors reached their success? Below, members of the senior Vindicated Class share their wisdom to help students go from surviving to thriving during finals week.

Joshua Becht: “De-stress by planning movie nights and late-night Cook Out trips with friends.”
Tiara Brand: “Getting off campus for a while can relieve some of the stress. I go to a coffee shop and take time to both relax and study.”
Madison Farrar: “Go to end-of-the-year events like Late Night Breakfast. I drown my worries in pancake syrup.”
Austin Trachsel: “Take classes with no written final!”
Dean Lane: “Use all your leftover caf swipes on bistro cookies.”
Alyssa Gaines: “Drink lots of coffee and have lots of talks with Jesus.”
C.J. Hawkins: “Watch Netflix at some point. Sure you’re watching “Fixer Upper” and also mildly panicking about your test, but you need to take a small break!”
Shelby Burnett: “Don’t worry — in my opinion, finals week is actually less stressful than the last week of class because all your exams are spread out and you typically have more time. Also … don’t save packing up for your dorm for your last day.”
Madison McRill: “Just go to sleep. If you didn’t learn it earlier in the semester, you will not remember it for the test. Also, wrapping your pillow in a garbage bag will prevent mascara from staining your pillowcase after crying yourself to sleep.”
Lisa Humason: “Study hard, but also embrace the random opportunities that always pop up during finals week. I guarantee that you will end up in a random conversation with a strange group of people, or on a midnight Taco Bell run, or just something out of your ordinary routine. You might feel guilty that you aren’t studying, but enjoy those things. Some of the best memories come out of weird unexpected finals week shenanigans.”
Tom Henry: “Keep up your regular sleep and eating patterns. Also, go visit the therapy dogs in Kinlaw! Rest is super important.”
Christiana Somers: “When you look back you’ll care more about the memories you have and relationships you made than getting a few extra points on a test. Studying is definitely important, but sometimes it’s cathartic to take a break and work on relationships.”
Jessica Segal: “If you have 3 or more finals on the same day, you can get one of them rescheduled.”
Lauren Edgell: “Always ask for an extension. You are human and so are your professors. But keep working in case they say no.”
Gabriella Kreinbrook: “Always make time for late night breakfast and TV drop [two finals week traditions at Asbury]. This is the most advance form of finals therapy. And surround yourself with people who will speak sanity back into your over stressed mess.”
Anna Leigh Morrow: “Finals week can get crazy and hectic simply because you ditch the schedule and structure that you’ve been accustomed to all semester. This may sound simple, but I think it’s really important to try to match your normal schedule as closely as possible. Get up at roughly the same time. Eat meals at the proper times instead of weird random in-between times. If you stick to the schedule you’re used to, it will bring a sense of normalcy and order into what can otherwise be a really overwhelming week.”

— by Cathryn Lien ’18