Pierce Godwin
Staff Writer
As the end of the semester nears, many students are trying to get that last-minute push to improve their grades, while some teachers attempt to pile on more exams and projects.
The day before final exams begin is unofficially known as “dead day” because the campus is usually empty. The only places that life can be found are the library and the dining halls.
The university gives the students the opportunity to get some last-minute studying in by canceling all regular classes the Wednesday before finals. However, not everyone uses the day before the beginning of finals as an opportunity to try to regurgitate everything that we should have learned throughout the semester. Some students go out on “dead day’s eve” to help ease their minds from the stress of the looming exams.
“I feel like it’s good to go out and blow off a little steam with your friends before you get down to studying,” said Andrew Johnson, a senior broadcast journalism major from Camden. “I know it has always helped me.”
The only day more important than dead day is probably the day before. On “dead day’s eve,” most students plan to do something not related to school with the hope to study all of “dead day.”
The Front Porch, one of Troy’s bars, tweeted its “Dead Day’s Eve Rave” last April. The bars in Troy usually offer discounted cover charges, drink specials and free games.
There is no reason this trend will not continue this year, and maybe it is not such a bad thing. Students spend the entire semester doing grade calculations, singlehandedly finishing group projects and staying up until the next morning to prepare for an exam.
Many students choose to go out and enjoy themselves before the start of final exams. Organizations gather in celebration of the end of the semester, and the local bars use “dead day’s eve” as an opportunity to get students to enjoy their last free night of the semester.
According to Professor Robbyn Taylor from the Hall School of Journalism and Communication, if students choose to go out, they should remember to make smart decisions and be safe.
“You have to know your limits and what works best for you,” Taylor said. “But everyone could use a mental break as long as you are responsible, and as long as students who go out together are taking care of each other, having fun isn’t necessarily a bad thing.”
In my opinion, with final exams starting the week following fall break, students should go ahead and try to get a jump start on studying and look for ways to curb the stress during final exams.
