Study Breaks During Finals Week
Experiencing finals week as a freshman can be a little daunting at first but I found a great deal of support within the Tufts community where my peers and I encouraged each other and kept our spirits high as we ended the semester. Even though I had an incredibly rigorous schedule during finals week, with two finals in one day sometimes, I worked closely with my professors to review content and create a feasible study plan for myself. Here at Tufts, I have found my professors to be incredibly supportive and understanding like no other teachers I’ve had before. Finals week is a widely accepted stressful time- it’s only natural- but my professors did everything they could to help my peers feel supported and prepared in order to minimize that stress as much as possible. I sat down with my professors to plan out my weeks leading up to our final projects and exams, even shifting around a few exam dates so as to not be so overloaded on a singular day. The understanding nature of my teachers once again showed me that I chose an incredible academic community to join.
On the other side of things I found incredible support within my social circles. I have incredible friends that encouraged me to take much needed study breaks, hassling me out of the library sometimes even if just to go for a walk or grab a coffee in the Student Center. Before all of us left for break, we all used one of our study breaks to go into Boston together to go ice skating at Boston Commons Frog Pond. We took the Red Line from Davis Square to With our student discount, we all were able to rent skates and skate for an unlimited amount of time for an affordable price. We stayed for about two and half hours, forgetting about the cold and enjoyed our time together. It’s amazing to have friends from not only all across the nation, but from across the world. Over break, when I looked back it was such a special time for me to spend time with all my friends that I wouldn’t be seeing for a month or longer. We ran into countless other Tufts students who had the same great idea. After a while, we decided to look for somewhere to warm up and grab dinner.
We took the T back over to Harvard Square which is close to Tufts campus and went to eat at Felipe’s Taqueria. It’s a delicious Mexican style restaurant where you can add countless toppings to a burrito, quesadilla, tacos, or even nachos. After being in the cold for so long, we were happy to sit down and have dinner. Even though I was so focused on my exams and completing all my assignments before the end of the year, my friends showed me the importance of catching my breath and taking breaks. It was so important, especially during this week, for me to return to my work refreshed and ready to approach my work with a rested mind. I am certain that without the connections I was lucky enough to make during the Fall semester I would not have learnt this important lesson. Both professors and friends introduced me to balance, even during finals week!
