Tufts Blogs

Finals period is always a weird time. You come back from Thanksgiving break and get thrust back into school after experiencing a brief taste of relaxation at home, and one week later you hit finals. While some students find this time stressful, I have a hot take: Finals period is the best part of the semester, and here’s why.

This year, Tufts finals period technically starts on December 15, and spans until the 23rd; however, some professors chose to give their finals before that. I took five classes this semester–Social Psychology, Experimental Psychology, Pan-Africanism, Modern Germany, and Dance Performance Practicum. My dance class finished before Thanksgiving break after we performed a piece in four shows, so I already have an extra 2.5 hours free each week when that class used to meet.

My other classes have traditional finals, but they are all super spread out. My Experimental Psychology final lab report is due this Friday, the 10th. Then, my first exam is Social Psychology on the 13th, closely followed by Modern Germany on the 16th. After that, I have a whole weekend to prepare for my Pan-Africanism exam on the 20th, and three more days to study for my Experimental Psychology exam on the 23rd. The idea of four exams can be stressful, but I have multiple days between each assessment, and after the 14th, classes are over, so I’ll have all the time I would have been in my classes to study.

Not only are classes winding down, but so are extracurriculars. Having had my tap show last weekend, tap is now over, giving me an extra 3 hours a week, plus all of the time I had spent planning the show in the weeks leading up to it. Most of my responsibilities for my sorority, Theta, for which I am in charge of philanthropy and social media, are finished for the semester as well, which means all I have to do is enjoy the fun stuff, like our hot chocolate bar retreat this coming Saturday!

That all being said, now that I have this seemingly abundant time, you may be wondering, how do I plan to spend it? My new motto (as of last week) is say "yes" to every invite. For example, the wind ensemble asked my tap ensemble if we could have a few members perform at their concert this weekend. My answer? "Yes!" My Theta big and two littles wanted to plan an ice skating trip this weekend. My answer? "Yes!" My friend asked me to grab dinner at Carm last night. My answer? "Ew, no!" Just kidding, the Carm versus Dewick controversy runs deep, but not deep enough to keep me from spending three hours in conversation with my friend at Carm last night!

My Emma’s advice for today is to worry less about finals (either now or when you get to college). Put them into perspective and remember that we do midterms during the midst of the semester while doing classes and extracurriculars; therefore, finals period allows much more time to allocate towards going to end of semester performances and enjoying time with friends. So put those books aside and make the final countdown count!