Finals week kicks off Friday, and students are already stressing out.
Students such as Ameena Khan, a sophomore in political science who spent 48 hours in the Marriott Library writing three final papers last semester, are practically moving into the library to maximize their study time.
Ian Godfrey, facility manager for library operations, said he has already started to see an increase in the number of students spending time in the library, including groups that come every day and study for hours in the same place.
Groups are taking advantage of every “nook and cranny” available for studying and rearranging furniture on the third floor student lounge to accommodate needs, Godfrey said.
Just walking through the library, it seems busier than it has been, said Mary Ross, a spokeswoman for library operations. All the independent and group study areas are occupied all the time, she said.
The library is working with Chartwells to extend café hours to help provide students with the opportunity to get snacks while studying. The library extended its weekend hours until 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights starting on April 24. The hours will stay extended until after finals week is over.
The Associated Students of the University of Utah offers parking validations during finals week to everyone who parks in the pay lot by the library.
But when Jessica Radley, a senior in psychology, studies on campus, she goes to the computer labs in the psychology building instead of the library.
“I feel like when I go to the library, it’s so big and beautiful8212;I don’t do homework,” Radley said. “I go in and find the first computer I can, otherwise I get lost.”
It’s easy for some students to get distracted from their studying, especially on the Internet. Some students deactivate their Facebook accounts before the start of finals week and reactivate them after the semester ends. Jessica Behl, a junior in engineering, only uses pencil and paper for homework during finals week, which keeps the computer far away to avoid the distraction.
Radley, who graduates at the end of Summer Semester, said she is experiencing college burn out. She has a final today and started studying for it yesterday, Radley said.
But tests aren’t Radley’s biggest concerns8212;papers are what get her the most stressed out.
“I’m good at cramming, but not good at papers,” Radley said. “I’m usually a wreck until the paper is done.”
Thien Sok/The Daily Utah ChronicleZack McClellan, Megan Crump and Rachel Bytheway, seniors in civil engineering, study for their fundamentals of engineering exam, which was held Saturday.