(Sorry for the delay all, but this is my posting from my finals week! Soon to come, inspirations for starting the second semester!) :)
It’s December 7th ;the time for holiday shopping, warm winter sweaters, and of course, Christmas music! But here at Regis College, it’s 60 degrees outside, students are wearing flip-flips, and there is not a flake of snow on the ground. These are not the images I think of when I envision the end of the semester. So it seems strange that in this “heat wave” of winter, finals have crept up on the Regis Community…and on me! In my Pharmacology class Monday evening our professor began to tell us how much he has enjoyed teaching our class this semester. Confused, I figured we had been really well-behaved that particular evening, a stark change from our giggly and inquisitive norm. But when I looked at the syllabus towards next week’s schedule, I realized that we had only one session left and its’ topic was one word: FINAL.
As corny as it sounds, I feel like I JUST started my semester here at Regis. Looking back at the apprehension and nervousness I had at the start, it seems foolish to have had such feelings; as normal as they were, I can now say that I am not only well-acquainted with the Regis Community, I consider them my dear friends and my family. How quickly one can build such meaningful and close relationships in mere months! And all in the hustle and bustle of a full time graduate class schedule…
I attribute this rapid progression of the semester to the encouragement of my peers and the support we have given one another. Some really wonderful things about Regis graduate students are the never-ending jokes, stories, words of wisdom, and advice that has been shared among the graduate program. Graduate school mentality is focused on the independent career advancement, but there is also an underlying tone of the program as a whole; we recognize how demanding Graduate studies can be and how easy it is to get caught up in that fact. Therefore we are always sharing funny experiences and pushing each other through the more stressful weeks. This aspect is unique to Regis and certainly a hallmark of the Graduate School.
As I prepare for my finals, I am keeping a few things in mind: The first is the minimum grade I must receive on my finals to stay in my program of study. As an MN student, I must maintain an 80 in all my classes and that means maintaining this average on 4 exams per class. My Pharmacology and Advanced Pathophysiology class grades are composed of 3 exams and one non-cumulative final, which is nice since studying for one quarter of the material is much better than studying for an entire semester’s worth. My Nursing Theory class (the one I had some slight difficulties with) is based off of two presentations, two online assignments, and one paper which is 50% of the final grade. Having given my final presentation in Nursing Theory last night, I do not have to sit for a final next week. I also feel more confident about my final grade as I reflect on the additional work I have put into this different and challenging class. Today I have calculated the minimum grade I need in both finals to maintain my desired grade and have created a timeline for each final in order to allow for adequate study time (and fun time!...fun time is very important as wellJ).
With my job in Graduate Admissions and various tutoring hours, I am also keeping in mind scheduling. I have a tendency to over-book myself (as do most Graduate students) and with my desire to always be everything for everyone, I have to be cognoscente of my overall goal which is to pass graduate school. I have found in the past that typical time to prepare for an exam takes about 15 hours of study time (about 5 hours for each class session). That means I have to make 30 hours open between now and Monday, the day of my finals. While finals are certainly a big deal and I will approach them as such, I am also being realistic; each final I must take is the equivalent of one regular test both in length, material, and weight. The studious side of me is shouting, “STUDY STUDY STUDY! IT’S A FINAL!” while my sensible side is saying, “Ashley, you’ve taken 6 of these this semester. You’ve got it!” I find that success in Graduate school comes from having a balance of both sides. And while I tend to lean in the diligently-studious and overly-responsible side, this semester has helped me to develop my sensible and rational side as well.
So here’s to finals everyone! Me and my two sides are going to start making Medication flashcards now…but first…a hot cup of hot cocoaJ
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