How do you manage finals week?
As a fourth year college student, I feel I have acquired some necessary skills related to exam-taking. My strategy, tried and true, requires students spend many hours studying outside the classroom during the first 12 weeks of the semester, but guarantees the absence of anxiety in the last 4.
What are some tips you fellow monkeys have? And for you crammers...is it nothing but redbull / adderall for a week straight? Or how do you do it?
Below is my strategy (attending classes, asking questions, learning prof's test/teaching style etc.) that has worked pretty well for me over the last few years. First 6 weeks are tough, but the time around finals is a lot less stressful.
The first 6 weeks of every semester is the most crucial time period and students MUST have perfect attendance for a couple of reasons:
1) Every class builds upon the information taught in the first 6 weeks and chances are, if you don't do well in the first six weeks, it will be impossible to finish strong;
2) Professors need to know the student is engaged, so sit in the front row and ask questions. It may be a good idea to stay after class to chat with the professors. This will give you an edge for grading. Professors, generally, are willing to grade an engaged student's work a bit easier than someone that rarely shows up and sits in the back;
3). Learning the professor's teaching and testing style is very important. Students must adapt their study skills outside the classroom to be able to learn the information efficiently and effectively. Once students successfully execute the first 6 weeks, they can maintain low to mid A's and have no need to stress over the last 4 weeks of the semester. It's the week prior to finals and tensions are high. I, myself, have the cruise control set and cannot wait for holiday break.
I agree with what you said about asking questions after class and sitting in the front row. I have gotten A's in multiple classes because of doing that when I probably actually earned a lower grade. Sucking up to teachers FTW
First thing I do, that almost no one else does, is sit down and ask the professor the very first day / week: "if a student wanted to earn an A in your course, how would he / she do it."
Also a good practice is reviewing every single day for every single course, along with starting all problem sets / projects WELL in advance. I am talking starting the first day you get an assignment and blocking it into separate chunks over weeks / months.
Make your day incredibly productive. Get up at the same time every weekday (preferably around 8am), go to the library and crank out your work. Be done by 5pm and call it a day. Rest and do whatever the hell you please. Rinse and repeat. Don't ever work late into the night if possible.
Another good tactic is to have a mental review session after every class to go over anything you missed and just give your mind another pass over the material.
Keep organized and get plenty of sleep, eat healthy and it's pretty dang easy to get good grades. Developing a connection with the professor is also key because it not only helps your grade in the end, but also helps keep you more engaged in the course. Go to office hours. Have some fun with it.
LOL this is exactly the kind of stuff we are trying to avoid here...you are gunning way too hard bro...
drink heavily for the first 6 weeks, lighten up a bit for the next 4-5 weeks, eliminate booze altogether for the last 3-4 weeks, and cram as much into your head during the 48 hours leading up to a final as you can. no sleep, plenty of red bull, and maybe some adderal or ritilin if you can get your hands on it. result is the same as yours, I just had more fun, and maybe shortened my life by 10 years.
Unfortunately that's what most students do which leads to pain, suffering, and piss poor grades.
Although there is something soothing about cranking out problems at 1am.
SB for you. Getting A's is not difficult. Getting A's and enjoying your life is a work of art.
This... I loved every minute of partying my face off and then showing up to the exams and to see fresh faces who were thoroughly pissed at the fact that they had wasted time studying feverishly and were met with poorer results. I put the Tom Petty philosophy into action with respect to school and crushed my Major GPA... I want to hire people that can get serious on some whiskey till 4 in the morning, go home, sober, shower and show up to work at a nine looking like a crisp hundred dollar bill. They have better stories and I like people that can swing to the extremes. You're going to tap into that incremental brilliance that only comes from living your life to the brink...
24 Hour Rule: Never look at an assignment more than 24 hours before its due
couldn't agree more....
Just read the chapters 2-3 times, then complete practice questions the rest of the time. I feel that so many of my peers were under the false assumption that if you didn't understand it after reading it the first time, that the material just wasn't for them. I almost never fully get something until I read it at least twice. Do that for every exam you have, and a 4.0 shouldn't be too tough.
finals week (Originally Posted: 12/13/2010)
finals week blows but in bb/eb ibd, EVERY WEEK IS FINALS WEEK.
I had a 3.6 overall, 3.8 major. Worked out alright for me.
.
Superday in btw finals = fail.
Good luck to you both... ive got 7 in 4 days this week yet here i am trying to think of interesting posts :-/
Definitely prefer work to studying/doing homework. The level of satisfaction is much greater in the former - I mean I'll probably forget all of this after next week.
Wow, I never had that. I did have a lot of interviews during a 20-credit semester, though.
I'm three years out, but every once in a while, I still get nightmares that I'm still in school and have an interview in NYC and an Embedded Systems exam that I haven't studied for on the same day.
The good news is that life only gets better from here if you keep working hard (and being thrifty).
I'm interested in hearing about your experience doing that. I'm currently a Junior and may have to take that many credits next semester if I want to graduate with a double major (math,econ). Was there any way to schedule your interviews are your classes? Did you have any control over superdays? I'm in the tristate area so maybe it wouldn't as difficult for me..
No way to schedule interviews around classes, but recruiters would sometimes hear me out if I had an exam the same day as an interview.
The bottom line was that I had to do fewer on-site interviews and get less sleep. Worked out to only about five, but I still got a pretty good offer. (That said, it was a lot easier to get an offer in 2006 than 2010).
Yeah. Thankfully this isn't FT recruiting, but it's still murder.
Final presentation today at 3:30 (merc'd, thank God), another tomorrow at 2:00, GS IMD/IBD superday Thursday, final exam Friday 8-10am, MS IBD superday 10:30-2. Finance final Monday afternoon, second-round phone interview with tax advisory firm Monday evening, accounting final Tuesday.
Help.
Imagine doing all of the above while not being from a target so having to fly back and forth from Texas to NY & Chicago during finals. Botched all the BB interviews, had already commited to my cousin's bachelor party in Vegas when i got called about a final round in Houston with Macquarie, flight from vegas gets delayed 8 hours (US Air is the worst airline of all time), fly into Ft. Worth to pick up my car at 12:30, arrive in Houston around 5 and the interview was at 8, only to find out the two spots had already been given to a kid from Wharton and a kid from Tulane. I was interviewed in case one of them chose the NY office over Houston...... Life.
24 hrs no sleep. 3 exams today. 1 down, aced the shit out of it. 2 to go.
Why do so many of you have superdays already? Isn't it in Jan/Feb?
ha these stories suck. Myself...Senior. Done with the semester. Accepted IBD offer. Just relaxing.
im a senior with an accepted bb ibd offer yet am far from "relaxing" during finals week bra... that gpa still matters if b schools in your future
Senior accepted offer early Nov. Grades at this point are about two things: bschool and ego. Sitting here grinding on a paper for no other reason.
The type of people motivated to succeed in finance are the type of people motivated to succeed in anything and everything they do. Many of us are sitting on offers of some kind, yet still pushing.
18 hours of sleep in 5 days. I'm grindin'.
agreed, on the grind for the sake of success and knowledge - GOOD LUCK BOYS
4 Finals in 38 hours what to do (Originally Posted: 05/15/2008)
POST ON WSO! May god have mercy on my soul (and gpa).
caffeine & adderall
Sounds like you might need to use the nuclear option. Convince the mental health clinic at your school that you have severe anxiety and can't focus. Talk to a psychologist, get a note. Done. Rewrite later if necessary. It's not pretty but I saw it succeed many times at my school.
your screwed either way....
Well one is a term paper, which I finished today. My exam tomo Im ready for. Im not screwed, I handle stress well.
"Oh - the ladies ever tell you that you look like a fucking optical illusion?"
sack the fuck up - i once had 3 finals in 1 day; 8-11, 1130-230 and 3-6. you have know about this all semester.
Obviously it was a joke. I saw some threads on the site about people talking about finals. Realized i had 4 in a very short period. They are non cumulative im not worried at all, but i am going to bed.
"Oh - the ladies ever tell you that you look like a fucking optical illusion?"
dude. when u'r in a hard spot,just stay up for 38 hours. get over it, u'r in college. u can do it.
i had 6 midterms in 2 days, 4 in one day. as long as you know your material, you should be good.
Why wouldn't you just reschedule your finals...most schools have policies, which allow you to take your final on an alternate day if you have too many in a certain time period.
1 down, that was pretty easy I potentially aced it. Term paper is done.
2 to go, Industrial Organization and Modern Jewish Literature.
"Oh - the ladies ever tell you that you look like a fucking optical illusion?"
Are those college courses or a knitting circle's conversation topics?
:)
It's no wonder why us engineers embarrass everyone else in the real world.
Either you sling crack rock or you got a wicked jump shot
After a few months, the whole engineer/non-engineer aspect disappears. After about a year, you will be hard pressed to find anyone who is still benefiting from their major. Also there is the more traditional non-engineer response of "well at least we aren't a bunch of geeks with slide rules, we have 'soft' skills."
i hate pussies... i mean... i like pussy but i hate pussies
For as smart as our user base is some apparently lack common sense. This was a joke. Back to studying.
"Oh - the ladies ever tell you that you look like a fucking optical illusion?"
Industrial Organization and Modern Jewish Literature
I hope those were jokes too.
industrial org is applied game theory, profit maximization, and pricing techniques.
Jewish lit is my required diversity credit. Dont be judgemental.
"Oh - the ladies ever tell you that you look like a fucking optical illusion?"
By the way, Fuck +/- grading. Ruined my 3.6
"Oh - the ladies ever tell you that you look like a fucking optical illusion?"
Amen trade I agree with you. My women's lit class was a biotch :). Anyway hope you pulled it off and good luck this summer.
Grades are up
A A B B- B-
The good news is I can now put a gpa on my resume!!!
"Oh - the ladies ever tell you that you look like a fucking optical illusion?"
I don't give a flying shit. Drink, party and procrastinate right through finals.
I could probably do better otherwise but... I just don't give enough of a fuck about school.
Is Banking Like Finals Week for Two Years Straight? (Originally Posted: 12/15/2007)
Thoughts?
it is not that bad all of the time, but there are some weeks that are much worse than finals week.
Maybe it's because I'm sick of school, but finals week has been very easy for me. Haven't really spent any time studying at all... took a couple of tests cold, with maybe 1-2 hours of studying immediately before the tests, and did okay. I do remember, however, when I was a frosh/soph and finals week was hell.
I lol'd at the thread title.
I don't think IB involves sitting on your ass in bed in your PJs studying some obscure stuff from 4 months ago for 19 hours a day. And taking an odd exam or two per day.
"We are lawyers! We sue people! Occasionally, we get aggressive and garnish wages, but WE DO NOT ABDUCT!" -Boston Legal-
The difference is a lack of control. You are working on someone else's schedule. When studying for finals, you always have the option to call it quits and go to bed. You can decide to take a study break and hang out with friends. In banking, you lose that option. That is what makes this job as tough as it is, the complete inability to plan or control your time. It is very difficult living your life according to someone else's schedule, especially when that person is going to work you to the ground.
Very accurate statement.
9 AM to 5 AM I mean (this was me this entire past week...).
It's actually worse than 2 years straight of Finals Week because you have no control over your hours or schedule. Yes, Finals Week can be intense depending on your school/major, but it doesn't necessarily have to be.
There are actually some weeks/days where I don't do much work at all but I still have to be here - that's another difference.
It's an interesting analogy and in terms of the time commitment/intensity I think they can be similar. I think of it as an apprenticeship where you have to do whatever the master says 24/7 (ok this is an exaggeration but you get the point).
The great thing about finals week is that all your friends are just as screwed as you and no one is having much fun. When you are pulling all-nighters in banking, your friends are either sleeping soundly or out having fun.
Yes there is mental pressure and whatnot constantly for 2 years.
The big difference is that finals you know what is coming, when, and once you do it, its done.
I would say banking is more like working on a paper for a sadistic professor. You think its due in two weeks, but then they tell you it's due tomorrow. It wasn't really, but they just wanted to get it done so they could give you an extra round of comments. Then when two weeks rolls around, they decide that they didn't really want the paper at all. Instead they want you to change topics and redo the whole thing in a different font color.
For two years.
Great.
Exceptionally analogised PowerMonkey. My applause and sympathies in equal measure.
When this sadistic professor asks you to change the font, is there any reason for it?
Is it acceptable for analysts to ask "why" when a VP/Associate asks you to change some minor detail? Or do they (VPs and Associates) ask analysts to change documents just for the hell of it?
you get PAID to do this, instead of having to pay the school.
It's worse, you have no choice in banking
1) You are more likely to be constantly on top of your shit at work than you are at school.
2) The actual work you do in banking is probably going to be easier than your coursework.
way worse than finals
In the case of my analogy, there probably is no reason other than they like the way the new font looks, or color, or whatever.
In the case of a VP/Associate, you can ask why and you may or may not get an answer. The answer maybe as simple as, "because I said so," or as complex as, "just do it," or even the perennial "why are you asking". Its generally not for the hell of it, there is usually some reason for the stupid little change, but it always seems like its pointless and ridiculous. Once you've been in the job for awhile, you don't ask because the answer doesn't matter, you have to do it anyway.
asking why leads nowhere as powermonkey stated. it just wastes everyones time and makes you look like a smartass to your associate/vp.
Basically, the why doesn't matter. Thanks for the info. As an analyst, it seems it is best to do as I am told.
"Why" is certainly not the right question to ask. If you are going to question a change, you better have a better solution in mind as well as an explanation for why yours is better. In general, the answer to the why question is always "because this is the manner in which I feel the information is best displayed." Honestly, you can't really question the Associate/VP's opinions.
It's a different feeling. Exams are about your performance. At work, you're just a cog in the machine. The pressure is different.
^^ kind of the same thing class bores the shit out of me.....its stupid that some of my classes have 600 kids in it..... all the teacher does is reads the PPT slides and calls it a day, and then he posts the PPT slides online....Class is the most pointless thing ever.......just read the slides on your own and understand everything.
Fall 10 finals (Originally Posted: 12/04/2010)
Well if you are an undergrad, its that time of the semester again. My classes officially end on Friday and the following week are finals. This means countless all nighters and barely any sleep until December 23rd. What finals do you guys have coming up? I got intermediate Micro analysis, intermediate macro analysis, and econometrics (and two bs general ed finals). I'm not worried about Micro or macro, but I need to get at least above an 80 on econometrics. Hate this piece of shit class
I'm taking Econometrics this semester, too -- I feel your pain. In addition, I have a Macroeconomic Theory exam; the most difficult professor in the department teaches it so it's one of the hardest classes in the major. I had to take shitty non-Econ classes (my college doesn't offer a Finance major) to fulfill the "rounded-liberal-arts-education" requirements, so I also have Psychology, German History 1917-1990, and German language exams.
is your econometrics exam proof based? There was a question on my mid term - give a mathematical proof that the OLS regressors are unbias. I sat there wanting to shoot my self so I wouldn't have to go through this
Not a hard one, but a weird one for an economics course.
Linear Model Credibility
I recall having to prove consistency of a FIV SUR esitmator and elaborating steps of the proof of the continuous mapping theorem in econometric theory. ... grrr
Still funnier than going over the proof of the Newey McFadden theorems used for M-estimators..:(
Lucky it's over.
Staying in the library all night to finish an English paper early so I can focus on studying for my two accounting finals...so much fun. If any of you guys know some good dubstep, please pass it along, distractions are greatly appreciated.
Good luck to you all
Ohbliv, Flyamsam, tokimonsta, .... just peep my channel http://www.youtube.com/user/herbigame?feature=mhum ^^
For dubstep, even though I am not a huge fan, Borgore is pretty good. 4 of my roommates saw him in concert a couple weeks ago and said it was insane. This is probably my favorite one...
what are you guys talking about, econometrics is fun.
Intermediate Micro was a fun class for me freshman year. Luckily I am just minoring in econ and don't need to take Econometrics. I finished last Thursday, but had Financial Management, Strategic Management, Marketing Management, Operations Management, and Professional Development (all honors classes). My triple all nighter and subsequent paper/presentation is done.
The rest of college is going to be a joke for classes. Next semester I have class from 8:00am to 1:20pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays and that is it (Auditing, Accounting Information Systems, Intermediate Corporate Finance, easy gen ed). Spread out over two semesters next year, I have International Economics, International Finance, Venture Finance, Advanced Financial Accounting, and that is it.
3 tough-ish exams in the next 2 days; holed up in the library listening to BBC's essential mix. high off pepsi and m&ms. it's gonna take a miracle.
pepsi? get your self a coke man
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqN5yWg6ff4&feature=related
I just ate like 2 pounds of vegetable lo mein, ha ha.
Operations Management (joke of a class), Ethics, Corporate Finance, Investments, World Geography (joke of a class). Looking forward to a month of non-stop drinking starting as soon as I get to the airport after exams are over.
Stuff to take to enhance concentration for finals (Originally Posted: 03/10/2013)
I have finals coming up I need to study for and currently my concentration is somewhere pretty much next to zero. Therefore any suggestions of stuff to take to make me focus that doesn't need a prescription and wont get me in a wheelchair by the time I'm 50?
Better strategy, pick up the class notes from the local note taking service. Courses rarely if ever deviate from the syllabus year over year, every year's exam and practice exam is archived and included in the semester set. You pay $35 and get an A. Skip class get wasted, bro out, then get a BB job... rinse and repeat.
Put you in a wheelchair? Huh?
Is the obvious answer too obvious?
Are you saying that to me or him? Or both?
Adderall... dont need a script if u know the right people
Notes
http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forums/anyone-use-nootropicsbrain-booste…
Never every pay attention in class. I don't ever learn in the classroom. Procrastinate and delay until the last possible moment. Just when you feel like it is getting too late to study for an exam, start studying with INTENSITY. Get all A's. Repeat.
24 hours is a little bit too much. 12 sounds more reasonable.
How about this?
Study 5 hours a day from 10am - 3pm with intensity. Study notes while walking to class, in the bathroom, whatever.
Chill the fuck out every night and do whatever I want without worrying about deadlines.
Get a 4.0.
Make it rain.
That's what the best students at my school do, and I am at one of the supposed "hardest" schools in the country.
Except that you don't make it rain for years after graduating from undergrad and there's virtually no difference in having a 4.0 versus a 3.9. I would personally take a kid with a 3.9 and stories like I have to a kid with 4.0 that didn't party nearly as much. Both results indicate a demonstrative work-ethic, but only one approach reflects the ability to live life and crush it.
When I was in school, far and away I hated the living fuck out of finals. I'd take any last minute bullshit pitch requiring multiple all nighters over any final.
Handling finals went two ways for me. If I had a manageable course load and was on top of my shit for that semester, I'd start studying about 2.5 weeks out and grind through and do pretty well. These semesters where mostly fall semesters. Spring semesters where another story. I'd be traveling a lot for lacrosse and would typically put off my less enjoyable courses for Spring for some stupid reason. Theses semesters where a shit show around finals time. One thing I tried to line up was a decent f-buddy. Some chick you keep on the back burner or a classmate that you've wanted to rail for the whole semester. The later is better because you're both stressed with the same shit and with summer coming, a clean break will be provided. Do it. Seriously.
well its finals week and what am I doing? I crammed for it all in 1 day (3 exams). Now I am livng the life:
petrone, WSO, and my GF is gonna get her some loving tonight.... tomm exam time! ( i have a 97% in all 3 classes so my finals dont have to be that good)
All 3 classes??? Badass! Is that all you can handle? You can't even spell Patron correctly. Step your game up player.
P.S. Put your hand around her throat a little bit tonight. Just enough so she gets scared.
Patron?
too many econ/business majors in here...
Seriously, there is such a clear lack of anyone who majored in anything worthwhile. Congrats to the retard that got a 3.6 with the business major though you must be brilliant.
rofl, this from the guy who is actively participating in a forum titled " Business School Barrage". And apparently I'm the retard. what the fuck did you expect the majority of people that frequent this forum to major in?
Yeah. try doing that shit with computer science. oh wait we don't do final we do real world projects which count as finals.
taking comp sci right now (the same class i took in hs, got a 5 on ap, could of placed out of it), by far the hardest class I have with prior experience.
General question here, did you guys get good gpas early and tanked later or tanked early and did well later?
haha I am guessing you were engineering....... and I mean this is a Finance forum, not a how to break into NASA one.
Lol try pulling this crap as a BME / Engineer at Hopkins or MIT.....
Have fun failing...
jesus christ this thread is proof grades don't mean jack shit
We are running in quarters so the max we can take is 4 classes........ yea I am taking a survey class so I am taking the max my school offers. next year we will be in semesters so we will have 6 classes.
and wtf are you talking about flow the drink is called petrone? http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=petrone
Nice try though
You can't be fucking serious...
Maybe you should spend the first 6 weeks of next semester figuring out how to be less of a chump.
This is definition #3 lol
"3. Patron tequila you just noticed you can't spell, so your just plain dumbass."
Come on bro, get your weight up.
Translate from Italian to "Big Rock." It means the person has big balls and is a true man. He is solid and stand up to anything that comes his way. Just a average day Hercules.
^ Interesting, I didnt know that.
Something I do which barely anyone at my school seems to do is actually read the textbook. Questions don't usually come from the text, but reading it helps me understand the rest of the material much better.
Something I do which barely anyone at my school seems to do is actually read the textbook. Questions don't usually come from the text, but reading it helps me understand the rest of the material much better.
I've put in less than 2 hours studying this entire semester and will most likely pull off a 3.75. Only have to take 1 final this semester
I employ a mix of approaches.
I attend every class and sit in the front. Most of my professors know me by my first name and I usually ask a couple questions every class. As far as studying though it happens only 3-4 days before an exam and is a sprint to the finish.
Works well for me.
To everyone bitching about the engineering degree being so much more difficult. Work smarter not harder. I am going to take my easy econ/business degree and out earn your asses by 10 fold in the real world.
Oh aren't you just a little badass
So many hard-drinking badasses with awesome social lives on here!
Hint: Who actually give you the grades ?
Game the prof.
Copious amounts of amphetamine
adderall
petrone lol yeah and that black duck vodka is the shit
Theres a huge difference when it comes to schools with classes that are 200+ in size. Sitting in the front row doesn't make a difference, other than possibly influencing your attentiveness. The graders aren't even professors, just grad students that didn't get a spot as a TA. A lot of classes are recorded, so going to class, while it will ensure that you ACTUALLY see the material, isn't the only way to access the info. Plus, being the person sitting in the front row of a huge class, asking questions that no one can really hear, tends to make a few a little annoyed.
That being said, I wouldn't say I am a fan of "cramming". Just studying a lot more intensely the week prior to finals.
dont do anything all quarter until the week before finals week and begin the excessive stimulant use until you crash at the end of the next week
being rly rly fucking smart and getting top marks with never studying is the way to go.
lacking that just study in advanced dont be a fkin moron and cram everything into 1 week
Go to state school. Half my school was mentally retarded... Really makes things easy. There was a point in my college career I actually took 6 weeks off in a row and graduated phi beta kappa 3.9 with a job. Got paid more in scholarships than I could even put into my liver. Basically lived the dream--- college is the biggest scam imaginable but I don't think I coulda played it any better
PARTY AND PLAY WOW & ION EVERYDAY. BE FRIENDS WITH THE TAs. GET PAST EXAM PAPERS. GET TIPS FOR THIS YEARS. GET 3.8 & GRADUATE.
THATS HOW I ROLLED
It's a marathon not a sprint. Study hard early! Do not leave it to the last second, by which stage you will just be memorising rather than learning, which will mean
a) you will be tricked in the exam by the slightlest difference in expected question b) you will not remember anything once you leave college
read and summarise your textbook (if you have one) each week. This is by far and away the best method. Do not advance a page until you beleive you understand the concept. Try and run over the ideas in yoiur head (talk to yourself) and/or try to explain/teach it to a friend. It is truly when you try to explain something to someone else that you may notice that youur understanding of the concept is like Swiss cheese
Do your assignments during the year, go to class, drink heavily, cram the night before an exam, and smoke after cramming
You guys are all full of shit. I bet everyone who commented here just sits at their computer all day, anxiously studying or spends their day kissing the professors ass. Seriously, you’re trying to work at a bank; it’s guaranteed most of you are pussys. The badass banker stigma is such a fucking crock.
I guarantee you the the truly "smart" kids are working their fucking asses off. I talked to a guy from a guy who graduated last year from my univ and is now at MIT doing his econ phd...... he basically studied every day 9-7pm and kicked ass. No one doing truly "good" work is doing the kind of shit you guys are talking about. Sure, you can get a 3.7 in business that way, but you won't publish research or really kill it in a hard major.
you missed the point. people here are trying to be consultants and bankers, not NASA rocket scientists. big difference. assuming all else is equal (i.e. we're talking target schools here) plenty of us can rock a 3.6 / 3.7, get shitfaced most of the semester while doing it, and still end up at the same prestige whoring places, making the same prestige whoring money as the rest of you clowns that study for 90 hours a week. and more often than not, your 3.9 + complete social retardation is a far worse combo than my 3.6 + social awesomeness.
suck on that trebek. mooooo is the sound your mother makes.
anyone who says they are doing nothing and get 100/100 is full of crap. i had many of these people at my high school and everyone knew they were full of it
Its not that we're doing nothing, its that we get nearly the same amount done in a much more compressed period of time.
Once upon a time I showed up at a final shit faced drunk yet still scored a 96%. Granted it was some BS class and I misspelled my name, but I still think it is an accomplishment nonetheless.
As for my study habits I really needed to keep a balance between work and play. The first five weeks were crucial as concepts usually built on each other over the course of the semester. I would develop a study regiment of 3 90min sessions mon-fri (I have a strict rule that no studying is to take place during weekends - they are for drinking, working out, and chilling) where I would focus heavily on the intuitive concepts/abstract mechanics of the subject.
After midterms, I would see how successful this approach was and would adjust accordingly. Usually shit slowed down and I was able to spend less time in the library. About two weeks prior to finals I began the proof recitation, formula memorization, etc. The week before finals I have one final party binge - it really helps clear my head. Then it was hardcore cramming while zenning out to really low key music during finals week.
It took me about 1.5 years to get this system down as I hadn't developed any sort of good study habits during high school.
Also, if there is an official tutor for the class utilize that resource. I became a TA by having a solid working relationship with the professor. He is asking me questions about the sessions and what topics the class seems to make the most sense out of. If I have a large enough amount of students to gain feedback I can make your studying significantly shorter/more efficient.
Hysterical.
My buddy blacked out and didn't come to after the test was over, thought he missed his test and freaked out. We found out later he took the test and left still completely black out drunk. Apparently he got a C; we were all really impressed he even found the class room.
1day/class and im solid. if you need more than that then you're retarded or in an excessively difficult major.
^ this
1) go to class as much as you can before the first exam of the semester, where you'll learn what the prof's tests are like.
2) adjust study habits accordingly. go to class as much as you need to (if its a small class, good to make your appearance known; or, if a large lecture where the prof teaches out of the book and reads off a power point, who cares)
3) cram before finals
you can have as much fun during college as you like as long as you know what you need to get done and make time to do so
Jars of peanut butter and many frozen pizzas
Some of you guys must be taking a light load or something or are not involved in any ECs, 'cause I remember at my Canadian U at McGill, I was taking 5 honours econ classes combined with tons of ECs and woke up at 5AM everyday slept at Midnight and still barely managed an A- GPA
You were clearly doing it wrong.
http://www.collegehumor.com/article/6666242/15-phrases-youll-hear-durin…
Eriginal: Really? I'd like to see you smash out As in Honours Economics courses at McGill. Honours Econ and Finance at McGill is not a joke and not for the weak of heart. We have people who have worked at Goldman IB who can barely get A-, let alone sans ECs... WTF are you talking about man, McGill is not non-target. BTW my ECs are 50+hours of week. It's called playing varsity sports, combined with being president of the school club, maybe that's why I got offers from BB.
I don't know?
Well at least you probably saved some time by not having any friends.
Really though, I'm the president of a school club just like every other person on this site; if its taking you that much time, your doing it wrong. Either I'm really fucking smart (not the case) or getting A's and offers doesn't require the amount of effort that your putting in.
Also I'd like to address the 'non-targets are easier' fallacy that you brought up. We take the same classes, with the same text books, my peers might be retarded (more fun to party with), but if I get the same offers - what's the difference aside from the name and the price?
I'm sure I'd smash out A's at McGill. I like to smash out things. Also, econ is easy peezy, honors or otherwise. wtf is hard to understand about equilibrium?
the curve
I rape the curve and render it obsolete.
cause you go to a nontarget brah haha... I really have no idea between target and nontarget UNIVERSITIES and curving... I came from a community college where there was no curving
Exactly, 100% is 100% regardless of any curve. However, I do agree that receiving a 'C' would be easier at my school because of a more forgiving curve.
Well, if they were to give out the tests that we take here at my old cc... it would be ugly as hell
I can never get why Americans equate drinking with socializing. My American roommate publicly called me socially retarded for getting angry when he got drunk and woke me up at 5am. Do you guys really think drinking buddies last for life? Do you think they will stand by your side when your shit hits the fan?
They also think that drinking is badass well into their 20s/30s/40s. A lot of people seem to think it is because their drinking age is so high.
It's because of the drinking age, if it was lower or less restrictive people wouldn't make such a HUGE deal about drinking. Drinking is something that is seen as a right of passage when you can legally buy your first beer and shit. Its retarded.
Please tell me that those are the minority. If all bankers are like that, I will have to rethink my career choice.
Oh quit your whiny american bashing with such trivial shit...
I'm not whining, I really don't understand. I've been here for over 3 years. I came to America to attend a prestigious university expecting to meet a lot of smart and hard-working students. Instead I met a bunch of snobbish people who waste their lives away drinking and stoning. Those who are hard-working and really care about others are branded as nerds, geeks, queers and the like. Many of them told me that they were constantly bullied in high schools and some of their friends were not as lucky to make it it college like them.
And this comes from a third-world kid whose country is way backward than America.
Nerds are actually getting more love nowadays than they used to... I mean, you can't go walkin' into class like Urkel, but studying a lot is looked at a lot less hostile than I remember.
Drinking + stoning and working hard don't have to be mutually exclusive, and a lot of the kids who I've met that REFUSE to drink are fucking weird... though I know one guy that doesn't touch anything that blends right in with my stoner friends.
I don't see what getting high/drunk has to do with caring about others though.
Think about it though, a lot of those kids are probably straight up nerds. You're gonna have quite a bit at good schools. Some of them piss me off. It's not that they study all of the time or that they're hardworking or whatever, it's that they do it too much (at the expense of talking to ANYBODY) and they have no idea of how to act around others. Bring food to class and start smackin' that shit while chewin with your mouth open, constantly fidget with the tips of your fingers, it's like some of these people are trying their hardest to not get laid.
The world is run by balls, not brains.
The American school system is just as much about social development as academics. In fact, the two most valuable skills I picked up are how to learn quickly and how to attack/defend a position. I did not need 16 years of schooling to learn basic accounting and time-value of money. I did need a lot of those years to figure out that the strongest tend to survive and nothing will be handed to me.
Btw: Choose your job based on what is best for you, not based on how much your co-workers might drink
Agree that those people are anti-social. But there's still no reason to get pissed off at/hate/bully them. Isn't leadership about helping others? You guys probably wrote stuffs like that in your Ivy essays right? I know I did.
A Mexican friend once told how Mexicans don't actually do drug. 90% of Mexican drugs are channelled to America and that's how the drug cartels get so rich and fuck up the country. Now every time I see people stoning I think of dead kids in Mexico. It sickens the shit out of me. Are you guys not aware of this or do you just choose to not care?
The world is run by balls, not brains? Seriously? I know it's a common thinking here, but without the brains that created successful business, I think your balls would be out of work soon. I understand great leaders need both balls and brain, but why do you emphasize so much on the ball part? And how does drinking and stoning prove that you have balls?
I don't hate or bully those kids, I act as nice as possible to them... but I can't help that it really gets on my nerves when I see that shit. I know I shouldn't care, but it's fucking annoying when some kid is spazzin' out right next to you and you're trying to study.
Also, a lot of weed is grown in the US and if it, along with other drugs, weren't illegal in the first place, the cartels couldn't make any money off of them... it reminds me of what somebody said when a new makeshift drug was discovered on the news:
"It makes you feel good! QUICK! Make it illegal so the cartels can make money off of it!"
Are you really gonna blame the drug users for the actions that the drug smugglers do?
btw, I never applied to an Ivy league, and stop calling it "stoning" please haha... and here in Michigan, there are medical marijuana dispensaries that I'm pretty freaking sure aren't buying their medication from Mexican drug cartels. You're demonizing anybody who doesn't study all the damn time, whether or not people smoke or drink is none of your concern and it's really really annoying when people actually care about whether or not others smoke weed.
First of all it is a bit ridiculous to say that a given individual should be more cognizant of the drug wars in Mexico and insinuating they are the reason for dead Mexican children.
You telling me that you make sure to recycle EVERY last item you consume for the sake of the environment? You tell me you pay 200% more for things like shirts and jeans that were made in the US because there is child labor in China?
1 word: Adderall
First, I am a fifth year senior and currently drinking instead of studying for my final tonight so take everything I say with a grain of salt.
Balls beats brains because balls are basically necessary for mega-success while brains are optional. Why do you think most inventors never see the big bucks from their products? Because they were smart guys who were afraid of failure and sold their patent to some dude with balls. I am not trying to discount smarts and hard work, because they do matter. Its just that I see more smart guys get held back by timidity than brave guys get held back by a low IQ. I know. I used to be one of the smart guys who tried to think everything through and ended up paralyzing himself through inaction.
On to drinking and "stoning." These behaviors don't prove that you have balls; however, they are evidence of a willingness to take risk. Sometimes when you are fucked up you'll get into a stupid situation and have to dig yourself out. Sometimes you figure out your limit.....then exceed it. My point is, the more "reckless" guys are able to step out of their comfort zone without hesitation which might allow them to grab that non-traditional opportunity which you are too scared to take.
I'm NOT suggesting that you change who you are. If you don't drink don't let anyone else tell you otherwise. But make sure to say "fuck it" every once in a while. Its college; you'll never get another chance. Besides, chicks dig this schtick.
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