As the semester comes to a close, the dreaded “finals season” is creeping around the corner. Hours of study, long nights and early mornings will take over the lives of students on campuses across the world. In preparation for finals we hit the library to see how the students at West Texas A&M University were feeling about the upcoming finals season.

Caroline Britten, junior Early Childhood education major, says that for her finals are the most stressful time of year because all your exams are crammed into one week.

“I felt like I was doing fine the whole semester until it was time to prepare for finals and all the end of the year projects” Britten said.

As if the pressure of finals wasn’t enough, some students have several activities that limit their study time even more. End of the year banquets, organization closing events, and work are all common factors that constrain the time of students.

Mollie Green, sophomore animal science major, has several activities on her plate.

“I’m currently involved on judging teams, the WTAMU Equestrian Team and the NCAA Student Athlete Advisory Committee. All of these take up time, but I wouldn’t trade any of them. However, I wouldn’t mind a little extra study time” Green said.

According to the Mayo Clinic Adult health article, time spent with your friends and family has several health benefits including reducing stress, increasing sense of belonging, and encouragement.

Cayenne Williams, junior social work major, says that while her academia is important, making time for her friends is just as much of a priority.

“For me, intramural sports

and my two jobs take away time that I could use for studying. Not only that, but time that I have to spend on other classes and the time that I take to hang out with friends or go home to see my family. I feel as though a social life is just as much, if not more, important as an academic life” Williams said.

WTAMU offers several activities on campus during finals week to help students unwind such as ice cream socials and petting dogs in the library. According to Purdue University, 45% of students say they felt “more than the average stress” during finals and 87% said they had felt overwhelmed at least once during the school year. This study is proof that students need to take study breaks and let loose.

“I take breaks to watch Netflix or workout or go grab dinner with a friend to unwind during study week. When there are events held in the dorm or the library, I will sometimes participate in those when I need a study break” Williams said

One of the most important, and often most challenging tasks for students is time management. Since finals are all crammed in one week it is recommended to make a game plan for each class and know the best study tactics for you as an individual. Each student is different, some prefer total silence, others, blasting music.

“It helps me to have a study group. If I am by myself, I get distracted easily and I don’t focus on what I need to. When I’m with people who all have the same goal, to pass the final, I do much better” Britten said.

Williams has a different approach.

“It has to be pretty much silent for me to study effectively. I always try to listen to music or have Netflix playing in the background, but I always get distracted and just end up turning it all off. Writing and rewriting the information in a notebook or making flash cards is how my brain is able to retain the information” Williams said.

No matter how you study it is crucial that you know what works best for you. Some tips from USA Today include, teach the material aloud to an empty room, visualize the information with charts and tables, review your notes daily, and reach out to your professor.

“I do feel like I’m more prepared for finals this year than my freshman year of college. I had no idea how to study and what resources I could utilize on campus”, Britten said.

With the completion of finals, students have plenty of summer plans to look forward to and relax before another semester begins.

“I am getting my first apartment this summer and I am able to attend my favorite summer church camp as a counselor for the second year and I am super excited about that”, Williams said.

Other students will be looking forward to expanding their knowledge and pursuing some leads for possible careers.

“I’m planning on working at the WTAMU Horse Center this summer and helping out at Equestrian Tryouts and the Kids Camps. I’m also trying to get a few Stock Show Internships lined up”, Green said.

WTAMU finals begin on May 4. The Prairie staff wishes all of the students the best of luck on their finals and say congratulations to all of the senior students on graduation. We look forward to another semester covering news on campus and being your number one source for all things WT. Go Buffs!