This past week all that has been running through my head on constant replay is the lyrics to Bon Jovi's infamous song Livin' on a Prayer. "Ohhhhh we're halfway there. Waaaoohhh livin' on a prayer." These wise words basically sum up week four at Sussex University. It is now the halfway point. Yes, I am halfway done with physics (eep!). And I'm hoping and praying that I make it through the second half, that I do well, but also that it doesn't go by too fast because that means then my study abroad experience will be over. I cannot believe its halfway over. I never expected it to go as fast as it has, although I guess that's always the case. These first four weeks have been filled with adventures and challenges, laughter and stress, but I wouldn't trade them for anything.
This past week was the week of my final and so it was a pretty intense week. Lots of trips to the on campus co-op were made for some late night ice cream runs to help fuel the brain and studying process, or that's what I like to tell myself at least. But while there were some stressful days (and nights) I still tried to have a full, fun week.
Sunday was my lazy day. I woke up to cows outside my window which was amazing because cows are my favorite animal so it was almost like they were there to cheer me on and help me through the stress that is finals week. Before I begin studying I like to set aside time to get everything in order (some may also call this procrastinating, but my way of viewing it is just so much more positive). So Sunday I got a late start, finally found the second gym on campus (this took close to 30 minutes; it's very hidden), cleaned my room, did all my laundry, organized all my papers and lectures, and by dinner time I convinced myself I was ready to begin studying. Going through the program I did not realize how much information we had actually learned. Four weeks does not sound like a lot, but once I began thinking about it, the information I learned in these four weeks was equivalent to half a year back at school which is pretty crazy!
This past week was the week of my final and so it was a pretty intense week. Lots of trips to the on campus co-op were made for some late night ice cream runs to help fuel the brain and studying process, or that's what I like to tell myself at least. But while there were some stressful days (and nights) I still tried to have a full, fun week.
Sunday was my lazy day. I woke up to cows outside my window which was amazing because cows are my favorite animal so it was almost like they were there to cheer me on and help me through the stress that is finals week. Before I begin studying I like to set aside time to get everything in order (some may also call this procrastinating, but my way of viewing it is just so much more positive). So Sunday I got a late start, finally found the second gym on campus (this took close to 30 minutes; it's very hidden), cleaned my room, did all my laundry, organized all my papers and lectures, and by dinner time I convinced myself I was ready to begin studying. Going through the program I did not realize how much information we had actually learned. Four weeks does not sound like a lot, but once I began thinking about it, the information I learned in these four weeks was equivalent to half a year back at school which is pretty crazy!
On Monday I had my last workshop where we went over the weekly problems, but then my AT also took time to answer any other questions we had, which was extremely helpful. Monday was also a big day because that was the day Pokemon Go hit Sussex. Before there had been a few people who played, but Monday is really when it went viral. I don't know if it was because it was finals week and so everyone was just looking to procrastinate/ relieve some stress, but I walked into the library on Monday kids everywhere were walking around, searching for Pokemon. Gotta catch them all!
Tuesday was our last day of classes so in lecture my professor, instead of trying to cram in new material, took the class period and answered any conceptual questions we had. She asked students at the beginning of class what they wanted to go over, and then went through the list making sure that everyone understood before moving on to the next topic. Tuesday was also my first ice cream run; I feel no shame.
Wednesday was really nice because it was a dead day. Back at school we don't have dead days so this was a completely foreign concept to me. But I have to say after being exposed to it, I am a huge fan. I woke up Wednesday morning and went to the help desk. Help desks are basically office hours but instead of just having one professor for all the students, Sussex has a bunch of the Assistant Tutors come and answer questions as well, which is extremely helpful because everyone can get their questions answered much more quickly and you do not have to ask questions in front of a large group (something I really don't like to do). Help desks last two hours, but because it was the day before our final they also had two sessions, so after lunch I made my way back for some more assistance. I also made my second ice cream run that night, again no shame.
Thursday morning was the final exam. I woke up really early with the intention to look over my notes and just in the right mindset to go take a final, but instead I made myself a huge breakfast feast because like everyone always tells you breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Our final was only twenty multiple choice questions and we were given two hours. When I came out of the test I talked to a couple of my friends and we all had the same attitude: at least it was over. Don't get me wrong it was a doable test, but at that point everyone was a little sleep deprived and ready for it to be the weekend.
Tuesday was our last day of classes so in lecture my professor, instead of trying to cram in new material, took the class period and answered any conceptual questions we had. She asked students at the beginning of class what they wanted to go over, and then went through the list making sure that everyone understood before moving on to the next topic. Tuesday was also my first ice cream run; I feel no shame.
Wednesday was really nice because it was a dead day. Back at school we don't have dead days so this was a completely foreign concept to me. But I have to say after being exposed to it, I am a huge fan. I woke up Wednesday morning and went to the help desk. Help desks are basically office hours but instead of just having one professor for all the students, Sussex has a bunch of the Assistant Tutors come and answer questions as well, which is extremely helpful because everyone can get their questions answered much more quickly and you do not have to ask questions in front of a large group (something I really don't like to do). Help desks last two hours, but because it was the day before our final they also had two sessions, so after lunch I made my way back for some more assistance. I also made my second ice cream run that night, again no shame.
Thursday morning was the final exam. I woke up really early with the intention to look over my notes and just in the right mindset to go take a final, but instead I made myself a huge breakfast feast because like everyone always tells you breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Our final was only twenty multiple choice questions and we were given two hours. When I came out of the test I talked to a couple of my friends and we all had the same attitude: at least it was over. Don't get me wrong it was a doable test, but at that point everyone was a little sleep deprived and ready for it to be the weekend.
And just like that session one was over. Now that I am one session wiser I want to give a few pieces of advice regarding the final to those who maybe be in the same position as me sometime in the future:
See you soon!
Veronica
- Go to the help desk!!! I cannot stress this enough. I did not know that the help desk existed until the final, but they also have them for the midterm. They are extremely helpful and you can just sit there for four hours doing your work and whenever you have a question there will be an AT there to answer it for you.
- Do the practice test, but don't just do the practice test. Before each exam the teachers put up a practice test. Now it is really helpful to do the practice test, but it is not one of those situations where the practice test is exactly like the actual test so you need to do more.
- Do book problems. Snowballing off my last point book problems are helpful to do. Each question is color coordinated based on its difficulty, and so I asked the professor which questions she would recommend doing and she said if I could work through and really understand half the blue (intermediate) problems, even if I had to google the answer or process, then I would be fine. So do with that as you will.
- Study in groups. This is kind of a personal preference because I am the type of person who gets really sad if I sit in a room studying all day all by myself so I like to work with other people around me. But I have found studying with groups to be extremely helpful. You all pool your knowledge and become this sort of megabrain that can figure out or explain any physics question that comes up and its awesome!
See you soon!
Veronica