A Transcendentalist Guide To Surviving Finals? (Not Really)
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| Reaching for my goals |
Finals week is finally here at DePaul University and that means a couple things. First of all, it is the week before Spring Break and there is nothing I want more than to get through the upcoming stretch of a week. While I count myself lucky since I only have one in-class final, that means I have projects and papers galore.
These projects allow me to tap into my creative side and get really interested in some topic of choice.
Ultimately, I thought of what to write and I felt overdue on writing a play because I have not spent much time playwriting this quarter. So like the dog on the right, I tried my best to test the waters and see what I could do. What I ended up with:
The History of Institutionalized Grapes
Yeah, I know, what is going on with that title. I'll explain! First of all, this project is a deeper exploration of a paper I wrote for my English class. The paper was about my hometown, Concord, Massachusetts. This town holds a very special spot in the history of the U.S. From its physical structures like the famous Old North Bridge to an idea that was created in Concord during the 19th century. The idea was named Transcendentalism. Concord is the birthplace of the Transcendentalist movement. If you want to know more about it, click HERE.
Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Nathaniel Hawthorne are just a few of the great men that followed this ideology. I also want to note that Margaret Fuller and a few other women were a part of this movement as well, but women's rights at the time limited how much women could be a part of this movement.
The quick summary on Transcendentalism is that "Transcendentalists can be understood in one sense by their context -- by what they were rebelling against, what they saw as the current situation and therefore as what they were trying to be different from" (Lewis).
Anyways, I worked with this ideology that was started in Concord and I combined it with another great achievement from the town of Concord, the creation of the Concord grape.
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| Why are Concord Grapes important when I have my Peanut Butter? |
I know what you're thinking. You're sitting there on your computer or your phone, enjoying your jar of peanut butter or Ben and Jerry's ice cream and you're wondering, Ryan, WHY does the invention of the Concord grape even matter? Why not just talk about the history of Henry David Thoreau and Transcendentalism in a play?
I ask you sir/madam/whatever gender you go by, does a play solely about Transcendentalism sound entertaining? Is that something you'd be curious about? A 19th-century ideology? For some people, the answer might be yes. For other people, the answer might be no.
My thought process on this was why not find a fun fact about Concord, that is within the same time period, that is ironically related to Transcendentalism.
Once again I am going to post a link for those history buffs out there who want to know more about the Concord Grape.
Ultimately, I wrote a small scene about some of the influential men of Transcendentalism that also included the inventor of the Concord Grape, Ephraim Wales Bull.
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| STOP TALKING ABOUT TRANSCENDENTALISM |
Okay! That's enough about that small project. To sum it up, I am super excited for my projects and I am lucky to be able to make them enjoyable by having the freedom to delve into my creativity.
Now for all of you who are not able to have a good time for finals, whether it's because you have in class tests or strict-ass papers, I feel you. I decided to make a list of suggestions for finals week, that will hopefully get you through the whole week.
1.) Be sure to SLEEP
This is a pretty basic one to say, but I know how hard it is to actually sleep. It's 12 AM, you're about to go to bed, you've set your alarm for 7:30 AM because you have an 8 AM final, but you just stay on your phone and browse for a bit on Facebook or Instagram. Time goes by and oh my goodness, it's already 2 or 3 AM!!! Wow. Look at how tired you're going to be tomorrow.
My suggestion: Be sure to put that phone on silent for the evening and just try to hit the hay. I know it sucks to have to go to bed early, but trust me, it's gonna help in the morning!
2.) Spread out your studying for the week!
Have a final in a week? Start studying now instead of the night before! Cramming only works for very few people, so unless you can do that, you should probably start ahead of time! It'll be beneficial to your mind and it won't stress you out as much when it finally comes time to take the test. If you study all week, you'll feel pretty well going into a final. Compared to going into a final knowing you're going to bomb it because you studied the night before.
My suggestion: Just study the whole 7 days before the exam. It'll be less stressful for you, and it is a realistic way of retaining information.
3.) Take some time to vent out to your friends, and socialize!
While it is important to study, be sure to get some social time in there, to vent to your close friends and family about the final. Nothing better than getting out your struggles instead of keeping them in.
My suggestion: Take a study break, go talk to some friends, get some food! Feel good, and then get back to the books!
4.) Go talk to Professor's if needed.
Your professor's want you to go talk to them if you have questions. Shoot them an email or even meet with them during their office hours. Professors are your best friend for exams, cause... they're the one's who made it.
My suggestion: DO IT. PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION HAVE THE PERSON WHO IS GOING TO GIVE YOU THE EXAM, ANSWER YOUR QUESTION. NOT GOOGLE.
5. Have a good self-mantra for the week.
Really take the time to channel your self-positivity for finals week. Believe in yourself because it is so important to go into a final with a positive attitude rather than going in believing you are just going to bomb.
My suggestion: Have a mantra to say to yourself in times of doubt. It is true that if you repeat it enough, you will just start to believe it!
That is just a short list of things you can do for yourself to feel in tip top shape for finals week! I hope that even one point on there helps you out just a little bit. That's the goal!
As I've mentioned much earlier, I only have one in-class final so I have it pretty easy for this finals week. I wish everyone else a successful finals week!
Now to transition to where I usually mention what's going on in my life and how Izzy is doing. I am currently super focused on competitive Pokemon since I have a tournament at the end of March, but I am obviously not letting it get in the way of my studies. Just to make that clear! Izzy is also beautiful as ever, and I love her very much. She sends me good morning messages all the time and she is just a wonderful person.
That is going to be it for this week, my friends. Thanks for reading today and I hope to write more in the future! Tah-tah for now- Ryan
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