Oracle Online

When I was at Hamline I used to wonder what I was going to do with all my extra time after I graduated. After all, an eight-to-five job certainly seemed like a lot less of a time commitment than what I had going on.

I mean, really, what do people do when they get off work at five and have no chapters to read, papers to write, group projects to work on? Not to mention the range of campus activities or meetings to attend. I knew that outside of college no one scheduled 8 p.m. meetings.

I’ve found that life, and your schedule, tend to always be what you make of them. I was busy in college and now I’m busy in life after college.

As I mentioned, four years after finishing at Hamline, I’m still not done with finals. Only this time I have work, business trips, volunteer commitments, a home and a husband to juggle. The juggling never changes, just the juggling choices you make.

College finals are a unique time. They give students a chance to focus on the material, dig deep and display where an entire semester of learning has gone. They also offer the opportunity to become incredibly overwhelmed and stressed out.

So try taking full advantage of all free food and other study break options. But with a little bit of distance, there is nothing quite as satisfying as pouring out everything you have into a blue book and walking away knowing you nailed the course.
Now, does that mean I’m looking forward to my own final later today? Looking forward to it being over might be a better way to describe it.

While there may not always be a prescribed finals week, there are always deadlinesčprojects due and timelines to meet. The patterns you set now will likely follow you into the future. But, I think you know that.

All that being said, remember it will all be over before you know it-finals and college. Have fun. Nap often.

Richele J. (Hansey) Messick ’03