Wednesday, December 3, 2014
dear stress,
uh.edu/uc/stressfreefinals
let’s break up. Sincerely,
Stress Free Finals Week
December 1st - 9th
| The Finals Edition
2 | Wednesday, December 3, 2014
EDITOR'S NOTE
i
The Finals Edition is part of a series of new special sections published every month by The Cougar. These sections are intented to give recognition and focus to certain aspects of student life that can often be overlooked.
S
o, I know that reading an issue dedicated to something you abhor might seem counterintuitive, but let me assure you – I hate finals just as much as you do. Who likes ‘em? They keep us up at night. They keep us down in the moments leading up to them — and in the hours, days or weeks following them where we’re still unsure CARA SMITH if we received full FINALS EDITION course credit. EDITOR I think you and I can agree that the world would be much better if there weren’t any finals in it. (Maybe you even agree with me thinking that the world would be a whole lot better with more pizza and Netflix in it. But that’s a conversation for another day.) As tempting as it is for us to dread finals, it’s important that we remember how badly we need them. I know I sound like your annoyingly optimistic aunt right now, but just hear me out. See, these little nuggets of hysteria are the gatekeepers to the next semester that’ll put us a few months closer to graduation, big-kid jobs and finding new things to stress about. That's the dream! Until we get there, though, we’ll still need to drop 54 ¢ on blue books twice a year and pray that somebody brought an extra Scantron to class. This issue is dedicated to helping you navigate that time of year we all dread, save for Christmas and Turkey Day. There are anecdotes on some of our worst experiences with finals and some of our best tips for combating them. There’s also some places included in this issue that make studying for finals as bearable as it can ever be. (Helpful hint: as great as our campus is, it's sometimes even greater to explore a bit of the city when it comes to the final hours of crunchtime. It's called Clutch City for a reason). So let's take this on together. You and I are likely in the same boat, after all — overworked, underslept and in dire need of a week-long Gilmore Girls binge. Hopefully you’ll be able to find some solidarity as we share our testimonies with this rite of passage we’re all enduring – if you can’t find solidarity, then I at least hope you’ll be entertained.
About Cooglife The Finals Edition
EDITOR Cara Smith COPY EDITORS Joshua Cochran
You're going to be staying up late, so why not take some tips from the journalists who haven't slept all semester? | File photo/The Cougar
Tips from
WRITERS Cara Smith Glissette Santana Hadiya Iqbal Valerie Moreno Kelly Schafler
Jenae Sitzes ADVERTISING TEAM Alexander Lacamu Alejandra Leon JP Montgomery Elizabeth Murphy Jose Salazar
PRODUCTION Jose Cruz Alex Tomic CLOSING EDITORS Christopher Shelton Cara Smith
on how to ace your finals CARA SMITH
EDITOR IN CHIEF
@CARA_SMITH5
Sometimes, the most attractive methods for nailing your finals aren't as effective as we think. That's where these tips come in. The Cougar's writers and editors are here to share some of the secrets they've found to be true, and despite popular belief, gorging yourself with energy drinks might not be the best way to earn that A. 1: Break out the DoubleBubble
Forget what you've seen in the movies — chewing gum in class just might be the key to passing. The Cougar's assistant news editor Glissette Santana swears by it. "Chew a certain flavor of gum when you’re studying," she said. "You are more likely to remember the material if you chew the same flavor when taking your test or working on your assignment." 2: Keep your chin up
It sounds like common sense, but you study better when you aren't stressing. Staff writer Rebecca Hennes advocates an optimistic attitude.
"If you keep thinking you’re going to fail, you will," Hennes said. "Keeping a positive mindset will help keep stress levels down." 3: Spread the work out Studying for a course is much better than having to retake it. Instead of making yourself miserable the night before the exam, study in capsules throughout the week. "The key is to take two to three hours a day... committing yourself to understanding it," said contributing writer Valerie Moreno. "It’s proven to help you retain information longer." 4: Don't make it a social activity Stay away from your friends. It's just that simple. News editor Sara Samora knows a thing or two about pulling an all-nighter. "Definitely find a quiet space, and stay away from your friends," Samora said. "It sounds harsh, but if you have your friends around, you will constantly be distracted and never get any studying done." 5: Lay off the guarine Friends swear by their favorite energy drink, but sticking with coffee, an apple or water will keep you from crashing during the exam.
"Stay away from energy drinks such as Monster; you’re (not trying) to crash and fall asleep on your book or laptop," Samora said. "Instead, just stand up and walk around, drink water, drink coffee."
ABOUT THE COVER Graphic design by Alex Tomic
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EDITOR IN CHIEF Cara Smith
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| The Finals Edition
Wednesday, December 3, 2014 | 3
WORST EXPERIENCE WITH FINALS We asked members of The Cougar to share their finals horror stories. Have a final exam horror story of your own? Share it with on on Twitter by tagging @thedailycougar. My worst finals experience had to be freshman year, when I thought I had lost my phone in the library and was unable to find it anywhere. After hours of searching around the library, I decided to just give up and study for my two finals, which were the next day starting at 8 a.m. Funny story was, the next day after taking my finals and getting some rest, I found my phone in my dorm room. Lesson learned — don’t try to cram at the last minute; you won’t get any sleep, and you’ll just drive yourself crazy.
Hadiya Iqba
Contributing Writer
I remember one of my worst final exam experiences was finding myself in the school bathroom crying out of pure stress and frustration from all of the information I was trying to squeeze into my brain for a test the next morning. Sounds pathetic and dramatic, and it was. So if there’s no choice but to take the route of cramming, make sure to take breaks. Eat a snack, take a walk and just let your brain relax for 15 to 20 minutes. Otherwise, you’ll be that person sobbing in the bathroom stall.
Last semester, I had three out of my five finals in the same day and the other two the next day. In the weeks leading up to it, I wasn’t really sure how I was going to tackle it all so I just laid out my finals schedule in front of me and figured out a study schedule that I knew would worked for me. Basically, I studied in the order that I had the tests and I wouldn’t move on in my studies until I knew all I needed for the final before it. In the end, I passed everything!
The worst finals experience I’ve ever had was my intro to psychology class freshman year. I rushed in right before they started the final with my friend who was also taking it. She leaned over to ask the class number to put on the scantron, and we were accused of cheating and were kicked out by the TA. Luckily, the professor ran into us outside and rolled his eyes like, “Silly TA,” after we explained it to him. He let us take the final. My friend and I had to sit apart, but I made an A on the final, so joke’s on the TA.
Valerie Moreno
Glissette Santana
Kelly Schafler
Contributing writer
Assistant News Editor
Opinion Editor
Infographic by Jose Cruz
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4 | Wednesday, December 3, 2014
| The Finals Edition
Crammin' in Clutch City: Where to study in Houston CARA SMITH
EDITOR IN CHIEF
@CARA_SMITH5
The library is gorgeous, and we've all spent countless hours at The Nook, but sometimes the key to focusing on the task at hand is giving yourself a change of scenery. That's
where your guide to Houston's coffee shops comes into play. With UH being located in the heart of a diverse metropolis, it's only natural that our campus is surrounded by a slew of cafes and coffee houses. If you haven't made enough ventures off campus to know where the best
ones are, we've got you covered. We've got the go-to guide for Houston's most affordable and accessible coffee shops. Here, you'll find restaurants that offer savory food at prices that won't break the bank. Each place also brews up the kind of coffee that college students need — cheap and effective
at keeping our weary eyes open through the night. If you only have time to skim it, have no fear — each cafe is labeled by what kind of diner it caters to. Here's to navigating the hidden gems, Houstonian favorites and everything in between.
For the vegan: Radical Eats There aren’t too many places like Radical Eats – places that operate as a bar, café and study spot. But this restaurants plays all three parts beautifully, offering one of the city’s few menus with vegan, vegetarian and carnivorous options. Their smoothies are made with nearly all organic, farm-to-table ingredients, and the sheer variety of their tamales (pork, chicken, chocolate, chipotle, black bean, butternut squash, etc.) will give you sound reason to take a break from studying for a bit. They’re affordable, with appetizers starting at five bucks. They're also one of the city’s only eateries to serve organic vodka, so if you decide to throw in the towel and cut your losses, you can drink with a little less guilt. Hours: 11 a.m. until 10 p.m. Sunday, closed Monday, 11 a.m. until 10 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday Located at 507 Westheimer Rd., Houston, 77098 Part bar, part eatery, part study lounge: Radical Eats has a lot to offer any kind of visitor. | Cara Smith/The Cougar
For the traditionalist: Empire Café You know what to look for in a study spot – a calm ambiance, WiFi and a menu offering soups, sandwiches and an array of mochas, lattes, frappes and any other caffeinated beverage you might want. Empire Café brings that. It’s got an extensive coffee menu, including bottomless house brews and one of the smoothest café lattes in the city (it could be a little nuttier, but it comes with vanilla wafers, so pick your battles). Whether we're talking about beans, the darkness of the roast or the volume of options, the coffee here is near gourmet. Empire Cafe also offers fare for the 21+ crowd. Aside from the potent whiskey smash, I'd recommend the coffee royale, made with disaronno amaretto, Bailey’s Irish cream and Empire's house blend topped with smooth whipped cream. They also offer a pretty healthy selection of rotating craft beers, but you can
usually find Karbach and Shiner on the list. This cafe is also a heavyweight in terms of cuisine. The Not Fried Chicken sandwich (see right) is an all-time favorite. At $9.00, it'll keep you full without making you bloated and sleepy, cardinal sins in the world of studying. The music’s never too loud, the menu boasts affordable quantity and the café’s sprawling covered patio proves to be the perfect change of scenery if you’ve spent one too many hours indoors. One thing that might inhibit studying is Empire's familiar atmosphere: come here during the daylight hours, and you just might run into a family with loud children enjoying a quick lunch. Empire mellows down in the evening, though, so bring your headphones for the afternoon. Hours: 7:30 a.m until 10:00 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; 7:30 a.m. until 11:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday Located at 1732 Westheimer Rd, Houston, TX 77098
Don't overthink it — just go with your gut and order the Not Fried Chicken sandwich. Your gut will thank you for trusting it. | Cara Smith/The Cougar
| The Finals Edition
Wednesday, December 3, 2014 | 5
For the food and drink snob: Blacksmith If you’re not a night owl, set your alarm and hustle over to Blacksmith. This place fills up quickly, and for good reason. This coffee house is for the gastronome, and it delivers some of Montrose’s most eclectic breakfast dishes, including warm made-from-scratch biscuits with crème fraiche and marmalade and flavorful Vietnamese steak and eggs that’s entirely worth its $15 price. It’s no surprise that Blacksmith is owned in partnership with The Hay Merchant and Underbelly, known for their gourmet greasy burgers and upscale pork dishes. Bring extra napkins – you’ll come for the studying, but you’ll stay for the eats. Hours: 7 a.m. until 5 p.m., everyday Located at 1018 Westheimer Rd, Houston, 77006 If you get bored while studying, take a few minutes and check out the local art on the walls at Ben's Beans. | Cara Smith/The Cougar
For the one who knows gas doesn’t grow on trees: Ben’s Beans
Though Black Hole’s location caters more to Rice University and University of St. Thomas students, its soft-as-a-cumulouscloud couches cater to anybody that’s going to be plopped down for an extended period of time. The prices at Black Hole might be some of the most affordable places on this list, which makes up for the coffee shop’s slightly over-roasted brew (if your a fan of a bitter brew, you're in luck). And trust me — the cookies near the cash register are as delicious as they look. This place stays packed until closing time, so you’ll be hard pressed to find a seat for two or three after 10 p.m. It's got one of the grungiest vibes of any coffee shop on this list, "grungy" being a generous euphemism for run-down and lived-in. But it makes Black Hole the hipster haven it is, and it's definitely a great place to hang out at after you're done hitting the books — there's smoking on the outside patio. If you do manage to bring your study group here, though, be sure you all are okay with studying with some background noise – at times, the music borders on being annoyingly loud.
This hidden gem is nestled just six minutes away from campus in warehouse space, so it’s not a claustrophobia-inducing nook in the wall. It’s bright and open, with vibrant local art lining the cherry red walls, and a generous offering of plush leather couches guarantees comfortable cramming. One of the best things about Ben's Beans is its emptiness. And it's not a testament to anything Ben's is doing wrong; from a patron's perspective, they're doing everything right. The atmosphere is stellar, the music is never too loud and the coffee is consistently fresh, served piping hot and at half the price you'd pay anywhere else. They don’t offer craft beer or alcohol, but their coffee is some of the cheapest on this list, with a potent Americano coming in at just under $2. The one downside is parking, as it’s located in the heart of the city on Dallas Street. Hours: 7 a.m. until 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. until midnight Friday through Saturday, 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. Sunday Located at 1302 Dallas St, Houston 77002
For the resident hipster: Black Hole Coffee House
The area outside Ben's Beans is gorgeous, so don't feel too badly if you have to park far away and walk to the cafe. | Cara Smith/The Cougar
Hours: 6:30 a.m. until midnight, Sunday through Saturday Located at 4504 Graustark St, Houston 77006
| The Finals Edition
6 | Wednesday, December 3, 2014
Be you. Belong.
CALLING ALL TOO-SMART-TOPASS-UP-$300-CASH COUGARS. We are offering all University of Houston students, faculty/staff and alumni the opportunity to open a FREE TDECU personal checking account with a recurring direct deposit and get $1501 . And if you refinance your auto loan from another lender with TDECU, we’ll give you another $1502 and an annual percentage rate as low as 1.99%. We don’t have to tell you what a great value that is. You’re a Houston Cougar, after all! Open your FREE TDECU checking account today and get access to more than 55,000 surcharge-free ATMs and 20 convenient branch locations in the Greater Houston area, including our new branch on the U of H campus. No opening deposit is required — in fact, we’ll cover it for you! Your account will even earn interest!
Visit our new University Center Branch, now open! It’s time to start expecting more. So Be You and Belong.
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Offers valid through December 31, 2014. TDECU membership required. For full terms/conditions, contact TDECU. Federally insured by NCUA. 1To receive the $150 bonus, you must establish a recurring direct deposit in the amount of $100 or more within 60 days following the new primary checking account opening date. The bonus will be paid to your new checking account the month after a recurring direct deposit has been established on your account. Bonuses are considered interest and will be reported on IRS Form 1099-INT. 2APR and benefits are accurate as of November 1, 2014, and are subject to change without notice. To receive $150 bonus, you must refinance your auto from another lender with TDECU and have or open a new primary checking account with a recurring direct deposit. Rate includes 0.25% discount for auto pay. Credit approval and proof of income required. Final rate will be based on your credit score. Required minimum loan amount is $3,000. Offer valid for postcard recipient only and does not apply to existing TDECU auto loans or business auto loans. $150 bonus will be deposited into your new TDECU primary checking account once loan has been funded. 1114-A7600.03 5033-COUGAR-HOL-1114
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Steer clear of stress with Stress Free Finals Throughout the remainder of the academic year, student and University organizations have plenty of activities geared toward the overworked Cougar. Find which ones work best for you. TODAY
Be You, Be UHealthy Come learn how to change your dietary habits into ones that will help you relax, feel healthier and stay awake. Dining dietitian Sarah Fye will lead the event, held from 12 to 1 p.m. in the Campus Wellness and Recreation Center.
Got Stress? How to Relax
Before Finals: A Food For Thought Workshop
Hosted by Counseling and Psychological Services, students can come to learn about stress management techniques, stress prevention and coping techniques
and relaxation methods. The event will be held from 12 to 1 p.m. at the Student Service Center 1 Conference Room.
Generation One Academy Students have the opportunity to volunteer for Generation One Academy, a charity that provides after-school activities for Third Ward youth. For details, email Emily Johnson at mvpehc@central.uh.edu.
THURSDAY, DEC. 4
SPB presents: Winter Wonderland The Student Programming Board will
host Winter Wonderland from 12 to 4 p.m. at Lynn Eusan Park. Free funnel cakes, hot chocolate and over 100,000 pounds of snow will be provided.
SATURDAY, DEC. 6
Community Garden Get out of the library and enjoy some fresh air. Volunteers are needed to plant seeds, weed beds and water plants that go to low-income families and local food banks. The garden is on the corner of Cullen Boulevard and Wheeler Street next to Cougar Woods. Volunteers needed from 1 until 4 p.m.
MONDAY, DEC. 8
Pop in for Stress Relief Pop, pop, pop. If that sounds relaxing to you, be sure to head to Oberholtzer Hall (located in front of the Quads) from 12 to 4 p.m. for balloon popping, bubble wrap popping, bubble gum and free popcorn.
CDI Alternative Study Starting on Monday and ending Friday, the Center for Diversity and Inclusion will be open from 5 to 8 p.m. to give students a quiet place to study. The Center is located in the UC North
For four days, Faithful Paws will bring in certified therapy dogs to help students destress from finals. The event will be held Monday from 8 to 10 p.m. and Tuesday through Thursday from 7 to 9 p.m. at the MD Anderson Library.
• Business Center • Walking Distance to
• Internet Cafe
Come for free pancakes, sausage, toppings and beverages in one of the University's biggest (and most crowded) Stress Free Finals events. The event will take place from 8:30 to 11:30 p.m. at the M.D. Anderson Library.
Faithful Paws
apartments
Homes
Finals Mania
Spots
Harvest Hill
• 1 & 2 Bedroom Apartment
near the LGBT Resource Center. Snacks and refreshments will be provided.
Metro Rail
• Billiards
• Minutes From Downtown
• Entertainment Lounge
& Texas Medical Center
8282 Cambridge Houston, Texas 77054
713-799-9046
harvesthill@aricommunities.com
| The Finals Edition
8 | Wednesday, December 3, 2014
ACROSS 1 Stairs alternatives 6 Min. fractions 10 Trojan horse, e.g. 14 Discharge through the pores 15 College exam type 16 English novelist Bagnold 17 Stumble 20 Marching together 21 Landscape architect’s creation 22 Pore in a leaf 25 Carried 26 Impulsive passion 30 Monastery man 32 Cloth used in adhesive pads 35 Long Island county 41 Suit request 43 Artemis’ twin 44 Battery terminals 45 Lip lotion 47 Reverse, e.g. 48 Approximately, as a date 53 Brownish photo tint 56 Fictional airline on “Lost” 58 Least active 63 Important military
system 66 Gentle as a lamb 67 Sheepshank, for one 68 Provide, as with some quality 69 Word with “liberal” or “martial” 70 Athenian collonade 71 Smoothing tools DOWN 1 “Do ___ fa …” 2 Opposed to, to Pappy Yokum 3 Awful state 4 “Hey, over here!” 5 Eyelid problems 6 Former French penny 7 Miss the turnoff, e.g. 8 Beach robe 9 ___ gin fizz 10 Oldfashioned, in a fashionable way 11 An Eastern Christian 12 As of 13 Barely defeated 18 Withdraw (with “out”) 19 Plate scraping 23 Bypass 24 Mr. Peanut feature
26 Mrs. Peel of “The Avengers” 27 Aerial maneuver 28 Certain singing voice 29 Astronaut Armstrong 31 Create a sweater 33 Spanish sun 34 Door feature 36 Bit of air pollution 37 EPA concern 38 Sunny-___ up 39 Aboard a ship 40 Now, it’s just Russia 42 Moist 46 Trip up a mountain 48 Semicolon’s cousin 49 More slippery 50 Change, as a clock 51 Big wine holders 52 “Star Wars: The Phantom Menace” boy 54 Roman trio 55 Calculator, at times 57 Varieties 59 Legendary Turner 60 Borderlines 61 Atlantic fish 62 Caddie’s bagful 64 Baby’s word 65 Hagen of the stage
Be you. Belong.
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