Crunch Time Extended hours ease late night studying

To the delight of UM students everywhere, despite the fact that it’s in honor of final exams, the Richter Library, the Convenience Store [C-store] and Starbucks will have extended hours until the end of the semester.

“The bottom line is that the University wants to provide the best possible on campus services to students during exam week by keeping these key facilities open,” said Mel Tenen, director of Auxiliary Services, who oversees all of the dining and vending services on campus.

During the reading and exam days, Starbucks will be open nightly until 2 a.m., and the C-store and library will be open 24 hours a day to afford students a round-the-clock study environment and places to refuel and get that extra “buzz” to power them through tedious study sessions.

“Of paramount importance is convenience for the students during exam week,” Tenen said.

Students have responded with gratitude and enthusiasm towards the temporary changes on campus.

“Even though I think that Starbucks should be open 24 hours during the week of finals, I am very excited about the extended hours of the facilities and think that it’s going to help getting through these next weeks,” Suchita Thakkar, sophomore, said.

Charlie Ellis, junior, also feels that the extended hours are appropriate.

“Those resources are there for a reason, and they should be used efficiently and made available to students when they need them,” Ellis said.

Now that students have the coffee, munchies and study area, the final piece is some advice on preparing for exams. Both students and faculty agree that cramming is not the answer and that planning ahead and studying little by little is the way to go.

“My advice to new students is that last minute studying doesn’t work – careful planning, pacing yourself and time management are key,” Ellis said. “Personally, I evaluate which classes have assigned most material and then schedule more or less time studying depending on the class.”

Sigman Splichal, program director for journalism and photography in the School of Communication (and senior adviser for The Hurricane) stresses that students should “get organized, budget [their] time, establish priorities, and stay away from the Grove and South Beach for the next two weeks.”

Teressa Dalpe can be contacted at t.dalpe@umiami.edu.