Students study for final exams

Some students do it on the College Green in front of everyone. Others prefer the seclusion of a private corner of the air-conditioned Van Pelt Library, away from prying eyes. Many students invite their partner over to their house for all-night sessions. What could all these students be doing? Studying for final exams in the first session of summer school classes, of course. Students began taking finals Monday, although the majority will be given today and Friday. And most said studying for their finals in the heat of the summer is particularly exhausting. While earlier in the summer Wharton sophomore Santosh Govindaraju was spending his afternoons after class playing basketball or working out at the gym, having two finals this week makes things a lot different. "I take naps on College Green," Govindaraju said. "It is the only time I can find to sleep -- there is just not enough time this week to get everything done." Some students like Wharton and Engineering junior Raja Gupta do most of their work on the computers in Steinberg-Dietrich Hall. "Besides doing practice sets and reviewing readings for Finance 101, I usually spend four hours each night studying in Vance [Hall] with a friend," Gupta said. Engineering senior Shyan Lim said that while studying for his Anthropology 1 exam has turned out to be "straight memorization," he has really learned something about different approaches to staying awake. "I recommend three to four cans of Coke to stay alert for studying," Lim said. "Mountain Dew is too strong and wipes you out." Anyone who thinks that summer courses are easier than their Spring and Fall semester counterparts should talk to College junior Dwight Arakaki, who is taking Organic Chemistry this summer. "It's a very fast-paced class," Arakaki said. "I have less time now than I did during the normal semester when I had four courses." Like many of his fellow students, Arakaki has lost all pretenses of becoming a gourmet chef during the rigorous summer session and subscribes to the fast food summer meal plan. "Since I spend all my time studying or working, I just grab my food from Taco Bell or the food court," he said. "[Or] anywhere that is close to my study area in Steinberg-Dietrich Hall -- and fast."

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