Tag Archives: finals

Finals don’t have to be stressful!

March 19, 2013 – 1:14 pm

Finals week is now underway and already UCLA students across campus have settled into “Finals Mode”.  Finals mode includes an increase in studying, a decrease in sleep, excess coffee, and a more frequent use of libraries.  In the midst of finals week craziness, it is important to take a moment to breathe and find our sanity once again.  Here are a few tips:

  • Schedule in some study breaks!  Studying is extremely important, but you also don’t want to burn yourself out before your test!  After every couple of hours, take the time to go on a walk, get lunch with a friends, or something else that is easy and relaxing!
  • Pick a good playlist! I can get so distracted by what music I listen to when I study, which defeats the purpose of listening to music. Pick something classical or something mellow.  My personal favorite is my “Civil Wars” Pandora station, but I’ve also recently discovered Blind Pilot!
  • Go work out! This is a great stress reliever.  The morning of your final, put on your running shoes and do a quick run around campus or go to the Wooden Center (which is considerably less crowded during finals week).  Find a friend and play some racketball.
  • Lay off the coffee after 11pm!  Sleep is just as important as study breaks.  Coffee is excellent (clearly I’m a fan), but after a certain time of night it can really mess with your schedule.  There is nothing worse than spending a long day studying then not being able to sleep before your 8am final because you drank too much coffee.  Instead of coffee at night…
  • Drink tea! It comes in a variety of flavors and levels of caffeine
  • Change up your location every once in awhile!  Go to the 24 hour Starbucks in Westwood, check out all of the finals week special hours at Kerckhoff or Ackerman, or go to UBC’s study spot on Wilshire for free food and wifi! (Yes…free)

Finals week can seem daunting, but take some deep breaths and you will be just fine! Professors aren’t “out to get you” and UCLA wants to help you out (as does the surrounding community)!

By Hannah Bernosky | Posted in Academics, Life off campus, Life on campus | Also tagged , , , | Comments Off

We are going to finish this strong!!

December 3, 2012 – 7:54 am

Hey there Bruins!!! Can you believe that we are already in week 10!?!! Last week of the Fall quarter and that means next week is final week (I’m screaming -silently- just thinking about that)

This quarter went super fast, and I mean super super fast. With the 4 classes, work, and lab research, this quarter sure did keep me busy at any point.

Having said that, I hope you all already started writing those last couple essays and papers, finished up those articles that you’re supposed to read for the finals, and flexed your brain muscle and nerve for the final preparation of this quarter. Don’t get stumbled by laziness when  finishing up this quarter!! You’ve worked hard throughout the entire quarter, and it will not worth it if you stop and give up early!!

Here’s some tips that I’ve acquired for finals week:

1. Study with your friends. And I mean really study :) not gossiping, watching movies  in the middle of studying, or going somewhere as a break from studying, etc. Studying with your friends really helps in kicking out the laziness and boredom from studying by yourself.

2. If you’re the type that loves quietness and studying by yourself,  pick a place where you feel relaxed and not stressed out.

3. Eat healthy and get enough rest. Yup, it is important to get enough (not too much) rest! You don’t want to get sick right before your finals.

4. Hold onto that temptation to watch movies, TV, etc. You can have all the time during winter break to catch up with those movies and TV episodes ;)

Well Bruins,I wish you all the best and good luck in finishing up week 10 before heading into finals week!! Let’s end this quarter strong just like how we started it!! :) Go Bruins!!!

By Olivia Harjanto | Posted in Academics | Also tagged , | Comments Off

Good bye Spring, HELLO SUMMER!!!

June 18, 2012 – 8:58 am

Yup, you read it right people. I am officially saying good bye to Spring quarter, and I’m saying a BIG HELLO to Summer!!! :) Just turned in my last lab notebook and lab report, which officially marks the end of my Spring classes. Woohoooo!!

Spring quarter as for many of us – or at least for me – has been the hardest quarter of the year :( Maybe it’s because it’s the end of school year, maybe it’s because there is only a 1 week break from Winter to Spring, or maybe it’s just the fact that I am tired already by the time Spring comes around. But nevertheless, Spring is over and I can proudly say that I finished it strongly in all my classes and my midterms and my finals – all those a scary battle!!

For a lot of us the end of Spring marks an end but I also say that it marks a new beginning for some of us. For those of us that are staying at school, it marks the end of one school year and beginning of the fun of Summer. But for the others, it marks a new chapter, a new beginning in their life where they leave UCLA or any school that they’ve been at for the last couple years and prepare to dive in to the real world out there. I have to say I’m such a cry baby. I will be crying for my friends that are graduating: I’m crying because  I’m sad that they’re no longer at UCLA but I’m also happy and proud of them for what they’v been through and have done.

I was dropping my notebook a couple hours ago at school, and the school was filled with excitement, balloons, flowers, smiling students, and parents. You could see the proud looks in each of parents’ faces and  the happiness and joy in each students’ face!!

Some of my friends from the College Letter and Science are graduating tonight, and some of my friends from the School of Engineering are graduating tomorrow. For all of you graduates, CONGRATULATIONS and I wish you all the very best from my heart!! And I’m proud to be able to call and meet you all as a friends!! :)

And for the rest of the Bruins, HAPPY SUMMER!! :)

By Olivia Harjanto | Posted in Academics, General | Also tagged , | Comments Off

My Savior

June 14, 2012 – 7:39 am

My little sister, away studying for own finals in Santa Barbara, really had my back this weekend. She managed to acquire five large cases of Monster drinks which she courteously left in Los Angeles for me. We are talking cases of 36. No- I did not drink all of them.

The real act of kindness occurred on her way home from school. As I was studying away, she graciously brought me my favorite drink from Starbucks. Luck would have it; the barista gave it to her for free. Seriously made my night!

Side note: I hope you all know our baseball team made it to the College World Series. They play for the National Title beginning this weekend.

Go Bruins!

By Gina Provenzano | Posted in Academics, Athletics/recreation, Life on campus | Also tagged | Comments Off

Studying Away

June 7, 2012 – 8:30 am

 

In exactly one week, I will have finished my last final and the 2011-2012 school year will officially be over. I am really excited to go up to my favorite summer camp, Woodward West, the next week and coach gymnastics. But before that, there is work to be done. I was able to get both my papers done this week, so now I can focus on my actual finals.

I am feeling ok for my biostatistics course, by my physiology course will be touchy. Some of the lectures contain 90 slides. And, its multiple-multiple choice with no partial credit. That means that more than one answer will be right (but sometimes just one is right) and you need to circle them all. Head game, much?

The saving grace of studying for finals is the wonderful weather. It is much nicer to sit outside for a period then be crammed inside all day.

Go Bruins!

By Gina Provenzano | Posted in Academics | Comments Off

BMES End of Year Banquet

June 4, 2012 – 7:55 am

Last Friday, Maggiano’s Little Italy was swarmed with Bruins; and I’m talking Bio-Engineer from Bruins!! Yup, we all got fancy and glammed up for BMES (Bio-Medical Engineer Society) End of Year Banquet that night; and it was so much fun!

It was a great way to end the school year, right before finals week. There were about 100 students and some faculty and staff that joined us that night. Some students submitted videos to compete with each other, there were engineer rap battle (yup, you read it right), zombie attack at laboratory, peanut butter as a cure to the zombie attack, as well as building up machine to fight zombies. And in case you haven’t get the clue, the theme for the night is zombie attack at the UCLA Bio-Engineer lab

It was a really fun night. The food was amazing, and everyone was just enjoying the break from late night at lab hours and long hours of homework and studying. Nevertheless, can you guys believe it’s already week 10?!?! That means this is our last week of Spring quarter already, and that means get ready for cramming for all those finals that are coming next week!! Get ready for the last push of the quarter Bruins!!

By Olivia Harjanto | Posted in Academics, Life off campus | Also tagged , | Comments Off

Chocolate Treat

March 22, 2012 – 2:32 pm

My younger sister decided to come down from UCSB to visit me for our final home gymnastics meet…or so I thought. In reality, she really wanted to use my kitchen to try out a new recipe inspired by Oreo’s 100th Celebration- Oreo Truffles.

As I watched, she smashed what seemed like a whole box of oreos in a gallon bag and mixed in some cream cheese. Next, she debated if she should melt the dark chocolate chips or milk chocolate chips. I was supposed to make the decision. How was I supposed to decide? I was still confused why she had stomped and jumped on a bag full of oreos. I simply responded it’s chocolate.

After the chocolate had melted and the smashed oreos had hardened, she proceeded to make balls and cover them with the melted chocolate. Finally, they were refrigerated again. I was pleasantly surprised at the final result. They were delicious! Gooey chocolate heaven.

Albeit left with the cleanup, I did get to enjoy one oreo truffle a day- a perfect reward for finals studying.

By Gina Provenzano | Posted in Life off campus | Also tagged | Comments Off

Week 9…Work Picks Up

March 5, 2012 – 3:12 pm

Currently, UCLA is about to go into Week 9 of Winter Quarter. It seems like this quarter has come and gone, yet it is not over. For me, I have two more weeks left of intense work as I am going to be taking my finals during Week 10 of instruction. Time is ticking. In order to prepare for my finals, I am currently diligently working on my outlines. In order to prepare for finals, I plan to get both of my outlines for my papers finalized by tomorrow and start the papers. The magic about the quarter system is that it goes by QUICKLY. You don’t realize it until you experience it. Or better yet, if you want to get the experience of it, try jotting down ten weeks in your calendar and count down as the weeks go by. Seriously, it is no joke. In order to be on top of your academics as a student, you have to have a definite balance in your studies and social life. It’s all great and dandy, but the work can get a bit overwhelming at times. I, however, wouldn’t trade in the quarter system for the semester system. I feel like 10 weeks is enough to get a feel of the material, and if I love the subjects I am studying, I can continue to expand my knowledge of it in upcoming quarters. Just know that as a student in the quarter system, work picks up starting Week 1, ;) .

By Manny Macias | Posted in Academics | Also tagged | Comments Off

Week 8 here we go!!

February 27, 2012 – 12:20 pm

I can’t believe I’m already at week 8 of winter quarter!! Before I know it, finals week will be here, which will mark  the end of my second quarter as a Bruin!!

This winter quarter is my first quarter taking an upper division BioEngineering class. I can’t lie, I did freak out a little bit. It was like learning a totally new language when I started these classes. But the best thing about quarter system is that before you know it, you are already used to it !

One thing that I’m looking forward is the Spring Break (of course)!! Another reason why I’m looking forward to it is because of how fast Spring Break will go and how we will start the spring quarter right away after that. From my perspective, that means we’re getting closer to summer!! yay!!

Speaking about Spring Break, I’m starting filling up my spring break schedule with numerous Bruin Ambassador visits  to different high school and college fair. That will be something interesting to do since most of the high schools that I will be visiting are located in Ventura; whereas usually I do my high school visit in East LA. I’ve always loved doing a visit to high schools and sharing my experience as a Bruin. Seeing those high school students’ faces when they say that they want to be a Bruin someday is priceless!

But for now, let’s finish week 8 and make sure to survive the remaining weeks until final week! :)

By Olivia Harjanto | Posted in Academics, Life on campus | Also tagged , , | Comments Off

Thanksgiving Break

December 2, 2011 – 7:12 am

 

After making it through lab until five on Wednesday, I ventured ten miles across town to my mother’s house. This was my first year not driving to Northern California, so the significantly shorter drive was fantastic. Of course, being in Los Angeles, I decided to go on a flash card making binge after lab to avoid traffic.

The break was nice to catch up on sleep, but also comes at the beginning of a stressful time for us Bruins. Finals are quickly approaching and I certainly began feeling the crunch over the holidays. Glycolysis, the Citric Acid Cycle, Enzyme mechanisms, so much to learn, so little time! It is somewhat comforting knowing that in a week it will be finished.

My thanksgiving dinner had a special guest. This half of the quarter consists mostly of bones and muscles for my physiological science class. Naturally, I borrowed a skeleton from my friend to practice outside of lab. The skeleton is named Bones and is missing the screws that keep the legs in, but he/she successfully served its purpose!

Go Bruins!

By Gina Provenzano | Posted in Academics, Life on campus | Also tagged , , | Comments Off
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 125 other followers

%d bloggers like this: