It feels so good to write from the warmth of home, relaxing with 80-degree temperatures and the satisfaction of completing my first semester of college. I just finished my finals yesterday and I’m still recovering from the experience. It was an intense three-day journey, nine hours total, not counting the last-minute cramming and the alarm clock waking me each morning, marking the beginning of anxiety.

I have to admit that my winter break in December didn’t turn out very productive in terms of studying. Although I made sure to pack all books and binders to start preparing for exams early, the books sat on my shelves for two weeks, unmoved. On the one hand, this allowed me to dedicate more time to my family and truly recharge my batteries, disconnecting myself for a while from the academic world. On the other hand, upon my return to school two weeks later, the gap in studying made reality hit me hard. There I was two weeks away from finals and panicking. Setting my luggage aside, I designed a plan of study along with a day-by-day schedule, and set the alarm for eight in the morning. It was time to quicken the pace. The clock was ticking.

I only had to take three exams because my freshman seminar was a pass/fail course, which didn’t require a final test, so I had to divide my time preparing for Comparative Politics, Nanotechnology, and Microeconomics. I needed to refresh myself on the material, some of which had been forgotten with the heat of Miami days. I reread all my notes and even the econ. textbook. I’m happy I did this, because the exam actually covered very small details that could have been missed easily had I not gone back to the textbook. For the government class, we were tested over material in two thick, 4,000-page course packs, so it was most efficient to join a study group. These groups are very popular in college, because the size of assignments sometimes makes it almost impossible for an individual student to complete them all. When many students in the same class join a study group, they each are responsible for reading and analyzing an assignment in depth, and pass that summary and analysis along to the rest of the students. The study guide was of great help for finals, but only as a way to “refresh” material. I feel more comfortable reading everything myself throughout the year and creating my own interpretations and conclusions. There’s no question that the study guide is only a complement and definitely not a substitute for learning.

Another helpful tool was using a school website that contained old exams for every class, which students could use to review. I made sure to take every old test and mimic real testing conditions. I would wake up very early and start the practice tests at nine, as I would during the actual exams, and I also timed myself to gain speed. Most important, however, was to attend all the review sessions given by professors. Here you have the opportunity to clarify doubts, get feedback from the same people who write the exams, and compare methods of studying with classmates.

The two weeks of study guides, practice tests, and review sessions evaporated to bring, finally, the first day of exams. I felt confident that I was prepared. Now it was just a matter of thinking strategically and not letting nerves distract me.

My first exam was Microeconomics. For three hours in a large auditorium, pencils scratched the blue paper books, tracing supply-and-demand and consumer-choice graphs, as vigilant proctors watched, and the test takers, necks bent in pain, focused on problems written on interminable pages. I had studied this material exhaustively, so I was able to answer and double-check every question. But test scores in this class are graded on a curve. Sometimes, feeling like you have performed well can be dangerous, since other people might be feeling the same. Your grade depends on how well others in your class did on the test.

The next day I had Comparative Politics, followed by Nanotechnology on Thursday. My government preparation included writing several practice essays about topics I speculated could be included in the exam’s long-response questions. So the exam content came as no surprise to me, and I was able to attack each essay effectively.

As I write from home now, it is hard to believe that everything is over. I left the classroom where I had taken Nanotechnology as I chatted with friends, heading toward the dining hall, commenting about plans for intersession break. It has been quite a busy semester, filled with new experiences and growth. Talking to my dad yesterday on our way home from the airport, he interrupted me to say, “Wow, how you have matured. . .” Have I? Perhaps. There really is no other choice in an environment where you’re responsible for your own well-being. So I was reflecting a couple of days ago, walking through Harvard Yard. Stopping in front of Widener Library, my wet hair freezing (literally), I genuinely realized that I have learned, about government and economics and science, but also about public relations, social “survival of the fittest,” and life.