Monday, April 16, 2007

Final Exam Week

Final exams have started at the University of Calgary. There are a few things that can tell you this. The first thing I noticed this morning was that the parking lot (the cheap one on the edge of campus by Scurfield Hall) was full, even though it was only 8 o'clock in the morning. Secondly, when I went to get my omelet and cheese bagel in the social sciences building, there were students everywhere studying. There were also quite a few students sleeping on the benches. I think some of them must have been there all night. I even bumped into some of my own students when I came back to the Education Tower, but I think I freaked them out because I told them that it was too late to learn anything for the exam. They just looked at me in horror and fear. Ooops, I guess there is no such thing as a sense of humour before final exams :-)

I think part of the fun of going to university are midterms and finals. They really help you bond with your classmates, and it gives you a real sense of being a student. I remember hanging out with my friends, madly trying to study. I even remember we would look for places to study all night on campus, and then at about 5 am we would go to Denny's for "Moons Over My Hammy" and fourteen cups of coffee so that we would be ready for our 8:00 am exams. Although it may have seemed like hell at the time, whenever I bump into friends from university we always look back sort of nostalgically to the days when we were students. Now, when I talk to my friends it seems like life for a lot of them is only about mortgages and stressful jobs that are crushing their souls (myself excepted . . . my soul hasn't been crushed, yet!)

Anyway, I guess what I am trying to say to my students is ENJOY exam week. Study with your friends and eat pizza every night while drinking a six pack of pepsi cola. When you look back at all of this, it will be with fondness :-)

4 comments:

Super Saiyan said...

jwerskySo,... where did you park your car? :P Did you park in the 8$ parking:P This is a new lesson for you: no driving in exams week. Believe it or not. I really felt that there was something different @ school. YA it is the pleasure of EXAMS. I really feel that today and for the rest of the week the professore are like: "Hey students, you are worried and we are not, HAHAHAHA" and then a brieliant student would say "Ok you mean teacher, I will punish you by writing in a messy hand writing to make you suffer hahahah:D" Just wish scott that non of the student whom you told that it was too late to study to do that :P Good luck correcting exams

Happy Amy said...

Seriously...there is nothing fun about finals...but~it is really interesting to students studying on the C-train, stressed out,and also sleepy....

Plus,
Thank you, Scott~for your patience and funny classes :)

Alif said...

I also think you are right. But, I cannot agree with now. I feel that I am in a mode of my reading. However, my point is to be calm and quiet before the exam, no talking. So, I think there should be some way to avoid talking.

Also, I notice that last time I did homework even in the C-Train. But, now I haven't done any assignment in the train, except editing my essays. Sometimes, I haven't done that.

Probably, someday I will stop doing such things.

Uly said...

how sweet...
your blog makes me miss the days at Kansai Gaidai with the guys!
I hope your students appreciate this time of their life:)