 Oh no, oh no...The time has come for the nightmare of every student alive, 'cause of great stress, threat to ones sanity: FINALS!
I could feel it drawing near with big, mighty, nasty steps and now its presence is inevitable. You can literally feel it in the air, you can grab that tension hanging right above you, and just in case you can't because your whole body has become numb due to the lovely weather we have been having lately, there are other indications which clearly demonstrate the time has come. For instance, It's not that hard to find a real-life manifestation of Edvard Munch's Scream portrait walking next to you on the campus these days. Abnormal levels of coffee consumption and a multiplying number of sleepless nights has brought along frustrated, hysterical, anxious people to our already stressful lives. And of course the library's increasing popularity has always been a classic indication of this dreadful time.
I admit it's not my favorite time of the year. I whine a lot, I tend to sleep a lot more than usual, I Google completely useless stuff and promise myself I will start studying every ten minutes, but of course I never do. I am one of those who do nothing till the very last moment, and this isn't any good, I promise.
So this final season I've decided to do something else other then sit around waiting till I “feel like” studying. I went to the library like most students do, in order to observe you people and perhaps learn a thing or two on healthy studying techniques.
So this week I thought with all the stress and anxiety I am going to share my impressions of you in your natural state of study. Here are some of the classifications I noticed:
The “I'm concentrating so hard you can smell my hair burning” type: This type of student is sure to have at least 10 different colored highlighters. They are generally so focused they don't realize you are staring at them. Which is a good thing because they might get the wrong idea about an innocent observer like me. I truly envy their highlighters and uncanny ability to concentrate on their work. They are one of those types who concentrate so hard that they won't get up till that chapter is finished. They don't care if the fire alarm goes off or aliens invade our world. Impressive right?
The Faker: You might have come across this type at the deserted sections of the library. They generally choose to “study” alone in a silent corner and perform a formula race with their pencils. If you listen carefully you might even hear their engines (true story).
The Bedmissers: Naps during breaks (no more than 15 minutes) can be a great way to “recharge” your brain for more studying true. In the library surrounded by all those great pieces of literature, you are bound to have sweet dreams. However, due to the lack of sufficient desks to study on during the finals period this type is subjected to some of the nastiest looks ever.
The Group: Then there are those who study as a group. They usually prefer the third floor of the library where the music rooms are due to obvious reasons. Within this group there is usually someone who plays the role of an instructor and tends to take his job very seriously. Of course there are also groups who do study together, I don't know how effective the studying process is but from personal experience I can say that studying together usually ends up with the whole group talking at the same time and causing what you may call noise pollution.
The Dreamer: I must admit, I think I'm one of them. They prefer the window spots with a great view. Their headphones are always on and their book open before them. Don't get me wrong, they do study for short periods of time. The thing is they just get distracted too easily. I used to have this perfect spot on the second floor English literature section. Unfortunately when I came back from erasmus they had put a book shelf there. I was really disappointed.
The Gossiper: This type commonly chooses to study with another friend, preferably of the same group type. They love the spots where they can see other people. They are those who constantly whisper, believing their words are inaudible. I'm sorry, but that's not true at all. The cell phone of this type never seems to stop vibrating. I'm suspecting that this type may even have its own language because when you ask them to keep it down a little, they don't seem to understand you.
So have you spotted yourself yet, which library type are you?
What type you are doesn't really matter, it's just that it's fun to see yourself from another perspective sometimes. What really matters now is survival and not all of us will be lucky...Just kidding!
I wish you all good luck in your final exams, because I know that you will need it!
By Eda Erdem (TRIN/IV)
a_erdem@ug.bilkent.edu.tr
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