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Show Monday, Dec. 5, 2011 Page 4 AggieLif• Utah State University • Logan, Utah • www.utahstatesman.com EMILY WARREN, A FRESHMAN MAJORING in FCHD, is one student who is free of schoolwork after dead week, because she doesn't have any finals. Some teachers let students opt out of finals while others assign final projects. CODY GOCHNOUR photo Winter break comes early for some BY MARIAN NOBLE features senior writer Student after student will pile into the library this week, each one loaded with books and studying materials. The thought of final exams is daunting for most, but some students are managing to complete the semester without them. Freshman Emily Warren, majoring in FCHD, is one of these students. "I'm used to having finals, but it's weird not having to study or be stressed about anything," Warren said. "I can just go with the flow, which is pretty nice, and I can go home whenever I want. It probably won't ever happen again." Warren said the one final she must complete is a project due during no test week for her 2-D design class. "In my planet Earth class, we actually do have a final, but we have four tests throughout the semester, and our teacher drops the lowest score," Warren said. "Since I did well on the first three, she just told me to not even bother with showing up for the final." Warren said knowing one of her test scores would be dropped motivated her to do well on the first three tests. However, Warren said she would rather have a final test than a final project, because "projects are more stressful." Warren's planet Earth class is not the only course at USU with an optional final. Noelle Johansen is a teaching assistant for a media smarts class. "The final is optional — as in students are not required to take it," Johansen said about the class. "They can choose to take it if they think it will help their grade." She said the majority of students opt out of the final because it's difficult. "In this class the majority of your grade is a combination of project (grades) and quizzes," Johansen said. Though Johansen is planning to take final exams this semester, she said last year she didn't have any during finals week. "I just had a story due Monday night, and I didn't have any finals for the rest of the week," Johansen said. "I wasted a whole lot of time until Friday when I started packing. I just sat there while my cute roommates studied their behinds off." Lara Hunsaker, a senior majoring in math education, said she won't have to take final exams at the end of this semester, either, but she has projects and presentations during no test week as well as a final assignment due by the end of finals week. "When you have final tests, I feel like there's a lot more studying (to do) but you can study all the way up to (the exam)," Hunsaker said. On the other hand, she said, final projects require more time beforehand and cause stress for students before the semester is over. No test week is when she gets most stressed, she added, because that's when most of her presentations are due. Hunsaker said different testing methods are appropriate for different classes. "If it's a knowledge-based class, I think it should be a simple question and answer," Hunsaker said. Hunsaker said she's been in classes in which she felt like the professor didn't prepare students for the final, because even though students were taught factual information, they weren't taught how to apply it. In the past when Hunsaker has finished finals early, she said she would "take off as soon as (she) could" for home, but this year she's sticking around. "For the last couple of years I've tutored, and (my pupils) usually had final tests, so I help them get ready E xam success for those," Hunsaker said. "Other than that, I'm just kind of winding down. I usually get sick at the end of the semester because there's so much stress, and then when it stops, my body kind of breaks down." – m.noble@aggiemail.usu.edu Follow these tips to help you through your stressful exam time. Good luck! Manageable chunks Memory List everything you have to do, then break it into manageable chunks; begin studying early, an hour or two per day, slowly building as the exam approaches Remembering is easier when it means something to us: Try to elaborate upon new information with your own examples; integrate it with what you already know Running out of time Test yourself Identify the most important topics and focus on areas you don't understand; skim-reading can save time but don't rely on it as an effective substitute for reading If you're not sure you understand something, make up some questions about key sections and try answering them ‘,14p Highlighting Organization Try to get actively involved with the text as you read; take notes, highlight or underline key concepts Techniques include writing chapter outlines or summaries and grouping information into categories or hierarchies Surroundings Breaks Recall is better when study context (physical location, as well as mental, emotional, and physical state) are similar to the exam context; don't study in bed! Take short breaks often when studying; a rested mind is essential before an exam so to forget about work when on a break or in bed; relax and unwind, mentally and physically Source: BBC Graphic: Scott Bell try a 2009 MCT Pinning interests on a virtual clipboard BY CAITLYN LEWIS staff writer Class pictures, ticket stubs and quotes cover scattered bulletin boards in bedrooms and lockers all over the U.S., but some individuals are throwing out bulky bulletin boards and switching over to web compiling. Pinterest, a web-based image-sharing network, allows people to do just that. This virtual bulletin board allows its users to "pin" images and share ideas with other users. According to the Pinterest website, Co-founder Ben Silbermann said Pinterest fills an idea-sharing void. "Once you know what you want, Google or Amazon will take care of it," Silbermann said. "But if you don't know what you want and you want to discover, I don't think there are very good solutions." He said Pinterest appeals largely to do-it- PINTEREST, AN ONLINE CLIPBOARD, provides a way for users to compile their favorite recipes, crafts, hobbies, books and more in one location. CARL R. WILSON photo illustration yourself-ers, brides to be, stay-at-home moms and cooks. Kristina Blesch, a sophomore majoring in journalism, said her favorite part is the crafts and wedding section. Riley Jo Justesen, a junior majoring in English and history, agreed. "I love the do-it-yourself crafts and wedding stuff. I know it's not my major, but Pinterest makes me want to be an event planner," Justesen said. Blesch said she wants to become a wedding planner. "I keep a pin board just for wedding ideas that I might use someday," she said. Blesch said she's an avid user of Tumblr and Twitter as well as blogging and posting online. "I only get on Pinterest when Tumblr gets boring and I'm feeling crafty," she said. As with Facebook or Twitter, users can "like" pins or even "re-pin" something to their own board. Once a member of Pinterest, users can create different boards to categorize and organize pins they like. Suggested boards include "things I love," "favorite places" and "my style." According to the Pinterest website, its mission is to connect everyone in the world through the things they find interesting. A favorite book, toy or recipe can reveal a common link between two people, the site states. There are different subcategories to choose from, such as design, films, books and food. "One of my best friends is getting married and I'm always checking her board to see what she's going to do with the wedding," Justesen said. Riley said she's on Pinterest for about an hour and a half each day, and because of that, many of her friends say she's addicted. Justesen said she has used several craft ideas she's found on Pinterest. She helped decorate the backyard for Alpha Chi Omega's preference night at the beginning of the semester. Justesen is a member of the sorority. "I found some really cute ideas on Pinterest and tied them all together," she said. "I hung picture frames and mason jars in our trees out back." She said she wants to have a sorority "Pinterest craft-ernoon" sisterhood activity next semester to craft and bond as sisters. Silbermann said Pinterest has a rapidly growing fan base. "The website's users have increased from 418,000 in May to a whopping 3.3 million in October — an 8-fold jump in one year," he said. "Once you're on Pinterest, you can scan through thousands of pins — whatever interests you — from quotes to recipes and everything in between. You and you're friends and family can see and re-pin interests by following each other." Justesen said she follows her mom on Pinterest. "I am always checking the "For Riley" board my mom has, wondering if that's what I'm getting for Christmas." Justesen said she is currently following about 300 people and has been a Pinterest user about 8 months. She said it seems like new people get on Pinterest every day. – caitlyn.lewis@aggiemail.usu.edu |