So Final Exams are around the corner and for a lot of students this is crunch time again. It is also Easter holidays though. In highschool, this is a week off... but at the U of S it is the last 4 days of classes! We end on Thursday... Which means exams are starting a lot sooner than you think. My first exam is the Monday after we are done school. So I should have been studying since... at least 2 weeks ago. Unfortunately, that was MY crunch time, and I was writing 2 term papers and putting the finishing touches on a presentation for my Spanish Class.
Luckily for me, my first exam is for the same class that I have a "midterm" in this Monday. So I will have all that knowledge in my mind from studying already. I think the prof might have planned that out for us. Either way, it makes it easier for me since I won't have to review the most recent 1/3 of the term as much as I normally would.
I love it when my schedule works out for me without me having to force it to!
In Saskatchewan, Spring is a tricky thing. More often than not, the groundhog sees his shadow in February and therefore we are doomed to an extra six weeks of winter. However, those six weeks before summer actually hits are very confusing.
This year, for example, we had one and a half weeks of amazing weather in the beginning of March. But then it got cold again (In like a lamb, out like a lion you know...) and actually kind of miserable, with some flash snow storms, freezing wind and ice. And now, the last few days of March, we are supposed to see some nice weather again. To the credit of the weather people, it is definitely sunny outside, with an expected high of 17degrees.
So the moral of this story is that although our weather is VERY unpredictable, and likes to play tricks on us, it eventually gets to be really nice outside. Just in time for final exams...
In every student's career at university, there comes a time when EVERYTHING happens at once. It may be midterms, due dates for assignments or recognition gala's, but rest assured, it will be there. Mine happened recently. I had an essay, an in class presentation, a banquet and numerous other things to do.
The worst thing to do is skip classes to get ahead. This puts you behind in other things ad creates a vicious cycle. The next worst thing is to pull an all nighter. You feel terrible and any work that you did is most likely terrible. So what DO you do when the world puts everything against you?
You MANAGE YOUR TIME. I may have stressed this before but it is very very important! Put aside an hour block to do task A, and maybe a 3 hour block to do task B. Make sure you take relaxation breaks so you don't fry your brain. I find that if I set limits on when I need to have something done (that isn't a due date!) I actually get it done.
The important thing to remember is that not everyone is the same. So find a plan that works for you and stick with it.
St. Thomas More (also known as STM) is one of the most awesome colleges on campus. It is affiliated with the college of Arts and Science, and so any Arts and Science student can also be part of STM. And any student on campus can take classes through STM.
I recommend both of these! As an STM student, I have more access to counseling, scholarships and profs. They have another library to use, and the best cafeteria on campus. And for students who just want to take an STM class, it is a great idea. The class sizes are smaller, so there is a better learning environment.
STM is pretty awesome, and if you are a prospective student you should definitely check it out!
Once you are in University, there are always a few research papers to do. So of course, it helps to know what you should be researching, or how to go about doing it.
On the usask Library website, there are numerous resources to help you. There are lots of librarians, and each specializes in an area so that you can ask questions to them and they can help. For example, there is a Psychology librarian who came to my Psych class to tell us about databases to use in order to find good info for our paper.
These databases are great! They allow access through the university to many scholarly journals and articles that you can use in your papers. You search by keyword and all relevant topics come up. And then, most of the articles can be accessed over the computer so you don't have to go to the library at all. It makes my life really easy.
If you aren't sure where to start, it always helps to ask your prof. They have written so many papers over their lifetime that they have excellent ideas on where to start... so they are as valuable a resource as any library.
There is nothing as good as the feeling of success. Whether it is the Olympic team doing great for Canada, or acing that last midterm, that feeling is great. I know because I got back a midterm test from before the break and was SO happy with the result. All the studying and hours spent in the library really paid off. But the cherry on top of this cake was the midterm I wrote Thursday - I went in feeling nervous but came out feeling like a million dollars. I am certain I aced it; every answer jumped into my mind immediately.
That is what studying does for you! I always used to think that if I knew it, I knew it good enough for the test. But going over all the info those couple extra times really made a difference. Just like an athlete preparing for a competition until the last possible minute, there is a big difference if you just work that tiny bit harder.
So congrats to Canada for acing the Olympics, and congrats to all students who survived midterm season because of their dedication to practice and study 
Check your application status
Finish your application Change your application
Report your marks
Get help with your application