Things on Drexel University’s campus may feel a little bit different this week as students tackle final exams, projects and papers, and do what it takes to push forward into a relaxing few weeks of winter break. However, it’s a welcomed tension in the air as the first full term culminates wholly in-person since this time two years ago, as finals week of spring 2020 was moved online due to the burgeoning pandemic that we still grapple with today.
Here’s how students interviewed on campus on Dec. 3 were feeling about finals week, as well as how they were preparing for their hardest exams and how they planned to celebrate after:
Mark Ryan
Second year, civil engineering
Q: Which final are you studying the hardest for and why?
A: I’m studying the most for Fundamentals and Materials (ENGR 220) just because it’s a pretty hard class. A lot of the material is very out-of-range of what you would normally learn, and it’s just a more complicated class than normal that I’m a little more worried about.
Q: What are your studying rituals or wellness habits that help you power through a long study session?
A: Personally, I like to work out in the morning to get my body moving so that my mind can focus better. I also like to watch Netflix or TV shows whenever I take a break during lunch and stuff like that just to take my mind off school.
Q: What will you do to blow off steam after finals are over?
A: I’m going to go home and enjoy the holidays with my family.
Stephen Logan
First year, physics
Q: Which final are you studying the hardest for and why?
A: What I’m studying for the most is probably my physics course. I’ve been having trouble with it for a long time. I think I have to crush it now so that I can prove [myself] for the next term.
Q: What are your studying rituals or wellness habits that help you power through a long study session?
A: I just look at my past work. I’ll look at what my teacher said I needed to improve on, like my homework, tests, midterms, seeing what things I need to improve. … I’ll also watch shows like “Master Chef” while going through the process.
Q: What will you do to blow off steam after finals are over?
A: Sleep. Just simply sleep. That’s the best way to make things better mentally, for me.
John Pepe (pictured above, right)
Second year, chemistry
Q: Which final are you studying the hardest for and why?
A: I guess I’ll be studying most for Organic Chemistry (CHEM 246). It has probably the most material of any of the three finals I have. It’s also my major … and I need the best grade on it compared to the other two finals. So I’ll probably spend the most time this weekend getting ready for that.
Q: What are your studying rituals or wellness habits that help you power through a long study session?
A: I usually start by doing a casual read-through of all my material, because I just want to have an idea of everything I’ve done this term. Then, once I have that, I can pick topics in particular that I don’t remember a lot, that when I was reading through it didn’t really click. Then I’ll go back and quiz myself on the material, do the practice problems, and make sure I have a good understanding of that topic.
Q: What will you do to blow off steam after finals are over?
A: Definitely going to play a lot of video games. I think that’s a much-deserved reward after finals.
Monisha Gupta (pictured above, left)
Second year, chemistry
Q: Which final are you studying the hardest for and why?
A: I guess I would say probably my Quantitative Analysis class (CHEM 230). I just feel like there’s a lot of material and a lot of details in the calculations. I just feel like I need to do a lot of practice problems to get a good handle on the material, and we’ve covered a few new topics that are a little shaky for me personally, so I’ll focus on that.
Q: What are your studying rituals or wellness habits that help you power through a long study session?
A: What I do in between studying is sometimes I’ll go on a short walk, like 15–20 minutes. Or I might go hang out with my sister, because I usually go home any ways, so I’ll spend time with my family to relax a little from the studying environment.
Q: What will you do to blow off steam after finals are over?
A: [I have friends] coming back from other colleges as well right now so I’ll try to see some friends while they’re here, sit down with them, hear about their life and how their finals went. Just try to reconnect after this stressful period.
Brynja Maravich
Second year, communications
Q: What are you most worried about this finals week?
A: I’m most worried about just the pure amount of writing I have to do. I have a 10-page paper due Monday [for Mass Media and Society (COM 150)] that I’m making progress on bit-by-bit. I think it’s good to just take breaks. That’s what I’m trying to do now. But yeah, it’s just good to manage my time.
Q: What are your studying rituals or wellness habits that help you power through a long study session?
A: I have to change my location a lot when I’m writing. If I’m in one place, I just lose inspiration, sitting there doing the same thing. I’ll be in my room, living room, go outside maybe if it’s nice out. And I’ll listen to music, too. I think that’s good for stimulating the brain. I listen to fast classical music.
Q: What will you do to blow off steam after finals are over?
A: Go home and just relax with my cats, probably.
Esther Jung
Second year, biology
Q: What are you most worried about this finals week?
A: For finals week, I think what I’m most worried about is balancing my time. Finals week is next week and I have two finals on Monday. I have a bio final and chem final. … So, I have a lot to balance. I also have a physics exam, too, so it’s three different finals I have to study for over the weekend and I only have a limited amount of time. Drexel is just pretty fast paced and it’s a lot of work, but what can you do?
Q: What are your studying rituals or wellness habits that help you power through a long study session?
A: I usually study at the Hagerty Library until late at night and then I go back to my apartment. What I do like to do to destress is take a nap, because I get tired very easily. Or, I just like to take little breaks between my studies just so I’m not studying for hours on end, because I also learned that’s very inefficient in terms of taking in the information.
Q: What will you do to blow off steam after finals are over?
A: Play “Valor” with my friends. … What we like to do is they come over and we play on weekends, because in “Valor” you queue up with five other people in total to make a team. So we play with five people in one apartment and we’re just gaming all night. It’s so much fun. I don’t game at all during the week when I study. It’s relaxing, but also stressful because it’s a competitive game, but it’s my way of destressing.
Kerrie Tran (pictured above, middle)
Fourth year, engineering technology
Q: Which final are you studying the hardest for and why?
A: I’m studying for Fluid Power (MET 209) the most because there’s a lot of equations we have to memorize and I’m not really good at schematics. … It’s a lot of practice.
Q: What are your studying rituals or wellness habits that help you power through a long study session?
A: I just try to sleep and not psych myself out before the exam. So, we’re trying to cram in as much as possible now.
Q: What will you do to blow off steam after finals are over?
A: I’m going to hit the gym. That’s one of the ways that helps me release stress.
Ngozi Enwereji (pictured above, left)
Third year, engineering technology
Q: What are your studying rituals or wellness habits that help you power through a long study session?
A: I think for me, especially throughout my first quarter here, it’s really important to make sure you carve out a time you can study. If you plan out the day, then you’ll reserve time so that when the time comes you will study. For me, I’ll go throughout the entire day and I’ll tell myself I’m going to study, then it’s 9 o’clock and I haven’t studied and I go to bed. So, just making sure I make a schedule and I stick to the schedule and make sure I actually do what I want to do will probably be beneficial.
Q: What will you do to blow off steam after finals are over?
A: I’ll probably watch a movie afterward.
Daniel Loleng (pictured above, right)
Second year, engineering technology
Q: Which final are you studying the hardest for and why?
Introduction to Nanotechnology (EET 204) is hard, because we have to memorize a lot of information from the beginning of the year all the way up to now. That’s really it: just memorization, not many equations. It’s just a load of information that’s poured into our class.
Q: What are your studying rituals or wellness habits that help you power through a long study session?
If you hyper-fixate on an exam, you’re not really going to be able to take the exam because you’re already fixated on it. So, for me, I’ve just been trying to study as best I can. … It’s gonna be what it’s gonna be. I will definitely get anxiety like the last day, so I will not be sleeping at all, so I’m trying to catch up on sleep right now.
Q: What will you do to blow off steam after finals are over?
I haven’t reached that point in my mind yet. I’m still fixated on three days. I have three days of finals and then I’m done. I don’t know what’s going to happen after that.