Between finishing up classes for the year, packing and moving out for the summer, and attending graduations and end-of-the-year parties, are there are several fun activities to juggle in May.

Although these last few weeks are filled with many exciting events and changes, students must get first get through the most daunting part of the year: Finals. Whether it’s a paper, presentation, or exam, odds are each class comes with some form of testing. Despite the stress of preparing for multiple courses, it’s crucial to now, more than ever, find a way to stay calm and organized. This is much easier said than done, especially during finals.

https://giphy.com/gifs/study-prKQ2PcJdTQly

For most, the weeks leading up to finals call for long days and nights of cramming. Some will reduce their social activities and sleep to get ready for their tests. As a second-semester junior, I’ve already made it through five finals weeks, and by the end of each, I’ve become an absolute basket case. Please read on if you don’t believe me.

https://giphy.com/gifs/charlie-day-always-sunny-its-in-philadelphia-11OJV2zUZRVL3y

In the fall of my junior year, my last exam was for an English course. The test was scheduled for the Thursday of finals week. The week would be rough: I had finals on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, which meant I only had so much time to devote to each subject before turning around and immediately shifting gears. So by Wednesday, I was fresh off two finals for Economic Development and Introduction to Macroeconomics when I first began studying for English.

I’d written in my planner that each of my three finals began at 2 pm. Immediately after I finished my Macro final on Wednesday, I began preparing for English. With under 24 hours to study character IDs and reflect on themes from nine authors and poets, including Chaucer, Donne, and Shakespeare, I knew I was in way over my head. I couldn’t believe how late I’d begun studying the texts, and knew getting through all the material in one night would be nearly impossible.

What’s worse, I was already fried from my previous exams: I could feel my brain turning mush by 9 pm that night. Although I’d barely begun studying, I vowed that if I went to bed then, and woke up early enough to start cramming in the morning, I just might make it through the test.

I woke up promptly at 6 am, feeling refreshed from a smooth nine hours of rest. I felt unstoppable: I was ready to get started and hopefully crank out some insightful work. To keep myself from getting distracted, I turned off my phone and computer for hours. I’d really gotten in the zone, and by 12 pm, I’d made it through material from eight of the nine authors. With two hours to spare, I knew I could use a little break before the final. I got properly dressed, washed my face, and grabbed my laptop to check my email quickly before heading to lunch.

To my surprise, I’d received an email from my English professor. The message had been sent at 9:15 am; its subject read “Exam”. The teacher asked me I was okay, and whether I was aware that the final had already begun. Confused by the email, I scrolled back through the course’s syllabus. Sure enough, the final had been scheduled to begin not at 2 pm, but at 9 am.

Had I literally just missed a final?! I started sweating profusely as the blood rushed to my cheeks. In that same instant, my professor sent me a follow-up message. The email asked me to respond immediately if I wished to take the exam; otherwise, I would fail the class.

I didn’t have a moment to lose. I darted out of my room, and sprinted to my professor’s office with nothing more than a pen. I apologized profusely for my lack of preparedness, begging for a chance to somehow take the exam. Although my professor had a plane to catch and couldn’t monitor the test, my teacher reassured me that together, we would find someone who could. Sure enough, a professor agreed to proctor the exam, and I began the final immediately.

I couldn’t believe the generosity my professor had offered me, and was so grateful to have had the ability to receive a second chance to take the final. By the time I sat down to begin the test, all my studying had gone out the window. I was so frazzled by how close I’d come to failing a class, and incredulous of my lack of attention to detail and bad planning. Even though the overall grade wasn’t quite what I’d hoped for, I was lucky enough to have even passed the course.

If I’ve learned anything from this crazy experience, it’s to always double-check the syllabus for crucial dates and deadlines. I’ve never been more embarrassed than by botching the time of a final. And now, looking back on that final six months later, I can only laugh at and try to avoid repeating such an enormous, silly mistake.

Congratulations on a wonderful year friends! Good luck to you all in your finals, and have a memorable and restful summer!

When I first joined The Student Life (TSL) newspaper as a sports writer during my sophomore year, I had no idea how much the organization would enrich my college experience. I learned about TSL after randomly meeting the paper’s Sports Editor through a ballroom dance class in the Fall of my sophomore year. When I agreed to write, he took me to the office to meet the staff, and was captivated by the camaraderie and collaboration. I started writing for the paper immediately, not only to become part of its fast-paced energy and efficiency, but also to experience and contribute to the palpable unity, respect and kindness expressed between workers.

One of the most crucial reasons that TSL felt like a home was because of its excellent leadership. When I took on the Opinions Editor position in the Fall of my junior year, I had the pleasure of working closely with excellent writers and Section Managers. But one of my greatest joys was working with the Editor-In-Chief (EIC), Alexa Strabuk. In the high-stress, high-demand position, Alexa, a Pitzer senior, was unbelievably impressive. She led TSL thoughtfully, coolly, and confidently; everyone could count on her for expertise advice and guidance.

Alexa never ceased to amaze me in her role as EIC, where she worked with over 100 individuals and oversaw every aspect of the newspaper’s weekly production. From editing every article in the News, Opinions, Life & Style, and Sports sections, to designing the paper’s physical layout and managing the budget, Alexa participated in each stage of the process. She was also responsible for leading three weekly senior staff meetings, answering countless emails, and writing for the paper’s Ed Board segment each week. Needless to say, Alexa’s EIC position was nothing short of a full-time job. 

Alexa thrived as TSL‘s leader due to her intellect and insightful, professional demeanor. As a writer and artist, Alexa had a natural gift for journalism. She communicated effortlessly with members of staff to craft substantial articles, entertaining graphics, and clever headlines in a cohesive and well-organized paper. Her wit and thorough work ethic enabled her to approach each task with a creative vision and a concise strategy to create the best product possible.

The TSL staff also gravitated toward Alexa’s balanced and charismatic temperament. By exuding a soothing and serene spirit, Alexa worked carefully with all sections of TSL to combat any conflict with a rational solution. In watching Alexa, I realized that patience and logic were crucial qualities in a great leader, not only in performing their own demanding authoritative duties, but also in reassuring the entire team that together, they could handle anything. But Alexa also led with a welcoming and bubbly spirit: While she asserted herself fairly and firmly in serious moments, she also lit up a room with her smile, optimism, and hilarious puns. People started coming to the office more frequently because she’d created a place where people enjoyed creating great content and bonding with new friends.

When someone asks why I like working for TSL…

But perhaps the most crucial and extraordinary element of Alexa’s leadership style was her remarkable ability to establish meaningful relations with her coworkers. Alexa was one of the kindest people I’d ever met: She truly cared about each member of the team, and provided each staff member with an exceptional level of individualized attention. No matter the question or the time of day, Alexa always found a way to meet with her staff and understand their perspectives. Having such close and personal interactions with Alexa made every individual feel supported, because she reaffirmed that their contribution to the paper was significant. Thus, the staff saw Alexa as more than a great leader: She was also a great friend who inspired each person to put their best foot forward.

From watching Alexa, I discovered that good leaders truly make all the difference in establishing healthy, productive and fun team environments. That semester, TSL’s positive dynamic and supportive atmosphere derived directly from Alexa. I hope that when given a leadership position, I can embody a fraction of her composure, compassion, and dedication.

Here’s to you, Alexa!!!

April is perhaps the busiest time of the year at Scripps. In addition to making housing decisions, choosing classes for the Fall, and making summer plans, academics are picking up and simultaneously winding down.

(Me thinking about everything I have to do between now and finals)

With so much going on in April, it can be tricky to get through everything on our daily lists and still make time for ourselves and our friends. Sometimes, it’s necessary to cancel a lunch and dinner plans to study for exams, or skip a movie night with friends to finish up a big essay. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that: After all, we’re at Scripps first and foremost for the education.

But is it possible to spend too much time studying, or devoting time to extracurriculars? At what point does endless cramming become detrimental not only to our learning, but also to our relationships and health?

I was in this position last semester. Between completing four difficult and time-intensive courses, serving as a social event planner for my singing group, and working as a newspaper editor, I felt completely overbooked. Instead of dropping an extracurricular or working with teachers to manage my workload, I coped by cutting down on my time with friends. Instead of grabbing lunch and dinner with friends, I spent every meal editing articles and sending emails to writers and the paper’s management team, and didn’t have the stamina to see my friends outside of the classroom or even on the weekends.

Though I loved working for the paper and wanted to dedicate as much time and attention as possible to fulfilling my duties as editor, I could feel myself slipping academically and socially. I spent most of that semester on my phone and laptop, constantly checking emails to communicate with the team at the paper. I focused all my attention on improving the content that I’d sometimes run out of time to complete my school work. Eventually, I became so invested in the position that I sometimes forgot about class readings and assignments altogether. As my energy levels plummeted, I could feel grades begin to slip. I constantly craved sleep and rest, and knew I wasn’t putting my best foot forward in either my academics or the paper.

Two months into the semester, my friends wanted me to grab dinner with them. I was looking forward to spending some quality-time with my best friends: I’d become so isolated by my work, and had hardly had a chance to catch up with them. At the dinner, my friends expressed concerns over my work for the paper. I knew that they were right: I’d spread myself so thin that I wasn’t enjoying the work anymore. At that moment, I realized that I wasn’t benefiting from working so relentlessly.

At the end of the semester, I decided I needed to make a change going forward with the new year. I gave up my editorial position, vowing to make more time for myself and my school work. And I must admit: I’ve become a smarter and more energized student, friend, and person by allotting myself some down-time. I’ve made the most of the extra time, not only to complete homework and catch up with friends, but also to take care of myself.

Through this experience, I discovered that we don’t always need to be overbooked or insanely busy to be content. By taking a little time away from school, we can balance our time spent on academics, with loved ones, and on our own. Remember to make some time for you during these last couple of weeks. I promise you won’t regret it! I’ve found that in practicing this balance, I’ve not only become a more productive student; more importantly, I’ve become a happier one.

One of the most difficult moments about working at a new job can be mastering the system. That first week might be a bit overwhelming: You’re in a completely new environment, you’re working with new people, and you’re being asked to perform tasks you’ve never completed before. Adapting to a new job comes with several challenges, and odds are, you’ll be a little bit slower than the rest of the team when you first start. And hen everything is entirely brand-new, it’s only natural you’ll need to take some time to adjust!

I experienced this shock when I started working at my first job at a clothing store. I was a senior in high school, and had fallen in love with the store’s light and welcoming environment, the beautiful clothes and home decor, and the friendly employees. I immediately knew I wanted to join the team, and started working a couple weeks later as a sales associate.

At the store, I worked alongside both college-bound students, and women who had worked at the store for years.  They’d discovered the ins and outs of the position, and did not want to waste time babying a novice like me. But the manager assured new employees that we’d get the system down with just a little time and practice. She encouraged us to ask for help from any employees at any time, advocating that it’s to ask questions and perform a task correctly than to make assumptions and do it wrong.

During that first week, I was the overly bubbly and eager with both the customers and my co-workers, and pressured myself to accomplish every assignment perfectly. I met with fellow employees  and sought their advice to learn the most effective methods to approach every task.

I knew my curiosity and constant blabbering particularly irked a couple of my co-workers. They had been at the company for years, and completed each assignment efficiently and effortlessly. They were fast-paced and had no time to dilly-dally. One time during that first week, I asked one of them for some help ringing up a customer at the cash register. I remember the scowl on her face, as she asked me, What have you done? Apparently, I’d messed up the order so badly that I had to start over completely from scratch. Irritated, she motioned me out of the way, and took over the transaction.

Following the encounter, I wanted to prove my competence and reliability to my co-workers. I wondered how I could make our interactions better: I conversed with them in passing, offered my assistance, and took on more responsibilities to make their work loads lighter. But even after making these adjustments, our exchanges were short and to-the-point.

As time progressed, I became more familiar with the structure of the job, and started taking the initiative in my assignments. Day by day, I became more independent in the store. I gained confidence in my own skills.

But after months of brief interactions, I noticed that my co-workers weren’t interested in socializing with any of the co-workers. They were not at the store to make friends; they were determined to get the job done as quickly and effectively as possible. I respected their diligent work ethics, and realized that my co-workers and I wouldn’t always be best friends. From these observations, I realized that as long as I did my part, we would get along great. Removing this fear was liberating: Ironically, the less I worried about receiving their approval and focused on my assignments, the better I performed each task.

Looking back, I laugh at how much time I spent dwelling over others’ perceptions of me. I know that that these doubts were mostly self-inflicted and that by overanalyzing these relations, I created unnecessary anxiety for myself. Be confident in your abilities, and don’t worry about how others perceive you! When you let that fear go, there’s no limit to what you can accomplish.

https://giphy.com/gifs/happy-comedy-smiling-ijELZsK3lcoaA

After spring break, maintaining focus in school can be challenging, to say the least. Now that the madness of March has passed, we have now entered April, the final full month of the semester. And with only six weeks until the start of summer, Spring Fever has hit Claremont.

Sadly, April isn’t exactly a cake walk: It’s filled with midterms and essays, not to mention final projects and exams to prepare. We’ve got to remind ourselves the semester is still rolling, and we have some important tasks to complete. So how can we continue to thrive during this final push and stay focused inside and outside the classroom?

During my time at Scripps, I’ve learned that preparing for April is about more than just preparing academically. As crucial as it is to hit the books and master the material, we must also be physically and mentally ready to take on the month. And I’ve learned the hard that after a certain point, endless hours of cramming can not only be ineffective; it can also harm our ability to perform.

Earlier in the semester, I started doubting my test-taking abilities. Every time I sat down to either study for or take an exam, my mind drew a blank. Rather than logically reading the problems and finding solutions, I’d overanalyze the questions, and tell myself I simply didn’t know the answers. In the middle of tests, I’d become so paralyzed by my self-doubts that I’d run out of time to answer and even read some of the questions.

Why is this happening, and what can be done to ease this stress? I wondered. I reevaluated how I’d been spending my time, juggling school and internship applications, singing, producing articles and seeing friends. In doing so, I realized my problem wasn’t a lack of preparedness or intellect: It was a lack of down-time. If you spread yourself too thin and become overly exhausted, even the smallest of tasks can seem impossible.

I decided to take both a physical and mental break from the everyday burdens of the college environment: Constantly keeping up with school, grabbing meals and coffee with friends, and maintaining a presence on social media. For the first time in nearly three months, I didn’t trouble myself with the pressures of a rigorous routine, or spend every moment of my time prioritizing work. I slept in, and lived day-to-day by my own spontaneous desires. I also cherished my alone time: I went on walks, went to restaurants, and watched movies by myself. Through this time of self-reflection, I cleared my mind, and gained the stamina I needed to strike a more balanced and sustainable work ethic.

After the break, I decided to take a Macroeconomics midterm, fresh after an entire week without studying. Because I was finally in a clear mental headspace, I was able to think critically and rationally through each problem, without worrying about my own self-doubts. When I compared my score on the test to those I’d taken when I was cramming before break, I discovered I actually did better when I hadn’t even studied, simply because I was not completely exhausted and could think logically!

Don’t get me wrong; I am not trying to devalue the importance of studying! Of course, nothing can replace the keeping up with the readings and putting in some quality studying time to understand the material! But on the other hand, walking in to a test or writing an essay with a calm and relaxed mindset plays a huge factor in our ability to academically perform. Over these next few weeks, please don’t forget just how much you can accomplish by taking care of yourself and unwinding in whatever way is best for you. Who knows — you may even find that a little R&R is just what the doctor ordered.