Hi everyone! Hope you all survived finals (if you had them) and enjoyed a relaxing holiday with loved ones. Last time I talked about preparing for finals, and now I can discuss taking them and receiving final grades, as well as finding something to do with myself for the next 3 weeks.
I had three finals this semester: English, Music Theory, and Calculus I, which all happened to be on consecutive days. That’s not how it will always work, because they assign finals times based on when your class meets, but it was convenient this time around. After the finals period, the professors have time to grade profusely and then grades are released online (this year it was Dec. 19). One thing that makes college different from high school is that you just get a letter grade for each class–you don’t know what you got on the final itself, or what comments your professors have, just a final letter grade. It’s not as scary as it sounds, but it was definitely a change.
But finals week isn’t all books and stress! On the Sunday night at the beginning of finals week, Kimball hosts a “midnight breakfast” (actually 9PM breakfast) served by some of the Jesuits to nourish us as we begin studying. For each following night in finals week, Crossroads serves midnight breakfast; although not quite as charming as being served bacon by your Montserrat professor, it achieves the same idea. Additionally, Dinand Library serves free coffee after 10PM each night of finals, because if you’re in the library after 10PM, you definitely need a pick-me-up.
Of course, the best part about finals is finishing and journeying home for Christmas! Holy Cross gave each student a Christmas present in the form of a fun video about the 12 Days of Christmas (link below). I’ve watched it at least 10 times.
Be sure to check back in a couple weeks as I prepare to move back on the Hill for second semester!
