Study for finals or go to Salt Lake City?

Exams study time conflicts with conference

• Julia LeBaron / Scroll Staff
• posted: 26 Mar 2007
• scrollcampus@byui.edu

A newly shortened semester means that finals come sooner. This semester, finals begin two days after general conference. Some BYU‑Idaho students feel that this is both good and bad timing, while many teachers feel it’s simply a matter of wise time management.

Time constraints caused by traveling to Salt Lake City for conference may cause some students’ studies to suffer.

I’m traveling, said Melissa Calvert, a senior from Lancaster, Pa., and I won’t be thinking about schoolwork, so it’s a potential hazard.

Denisse Jensen, a professor in the Foreign Language Department, said that students should act responsibly.

If you know you’re going to be busy with studying for tests, and working on projects or writing a big end-of-semester research paper, stay in Rexburg, Jensen said.

Whether traveling or staying in town, some students think that having finals so close after general conference can be beneficial.

I think it’s a good thing, said Seth Hutchings, a junior from Sacramento, Calif. The Spirit can teach more than you can learn. General conference gives me a spiritual high. It’s good to go into finals with the Spirit.

Many students feel that keeping the Spirit present is one of the keys to staying on top of studies and maintaining focus on conference.

It will help calm down the stress, said Danielle Memory, a freshman from Warrenton, Va.

Since students know that they will be spending eight to ten hours watching or listening to conference, avoiding procrastination on final projects, papers or studying will help control stress levels. Good time management will help students to be successful.

If students plan their final exam study schedule well in advance they can easily accommodate listening to all sessions of conference, said Seth Ririe, professor in the Biology Department. General conference or no general conference, it is advance preparation that always seems to be the biggest challenge for students.

Students can also use the time between sessions on Saturday to study, Jensen said. Also, Take advantage of the reading day before finals.

General conference should not be an excuse for lack of preparation, Jensen said.

The David O. McKay Library still will be open for study on Saturday. It will close only during Saturday’s conference sessions, so students will still have studying resources available.

I want to get into conference mode, but also study hard, said Jennifer Alan, a sophomore from Suisun City, Calif.

All food services will be closed on Saturday except for the Galley. Its hours will be 8:30—9:30 a.m. and 4:30—6 p.m.

The University Bookstore will close for conference weekend, as well.