Bradley Mullis, A&E Editor

Finals are just around the corner and it’s important to have an appropriate accompanying playlist to emphasize all of the different stages the average student will experience over the next two weeks.

Stage 1: Preparation

This is the most important stage. A good foundation is key to establishing an even better routine for studying, so some of these tracks should help you get into the “swing” of things. 

Charlie Parker – Ornithology

Thelonious Monk – Brilliant Corners

Squirrel Nut Zippers – Flight of the Passing Fancy

Stage 2: The Night Before

The good student has been devoting at least a good thirty minutes to two hours a day reviewing class notes, emailing the professor about test formats and questions that may not have been explained in class. As such, they aren’t scrambling around at the last minute, showing up to the exam sleep deprived with information falling out of their mouth.

The 80’s had a slew of music that embodied the cocky readiness of people who didn’t think they’d ever fade away. Some of these songs from this “pearlescent” era may help get the good student get ready to knock that exam out of the park. Stay focused and watch out for that “study buddy” who wants to come over to study and “oh yeah, maybe I’ll grab a sixer on the way over.”  

Rock you like a Hurricane – Scorpions

We Don’t Have to Take Our Clothes Off – Jermaine Stewart

Break My Stride – Matthew Wilder

Stage 3: On the Way to Class

Awesome. You’ve made it this far. Just a little further. The exam is at 8, so you’ve made sure to wake up at 6. Get some breakfast, shower, get dressed, review your notes and then head to class. On the way, make sure to practice some breathing exercises and let these classic compositions flow through you. Studies have shown that classical music helps control stress levels. You are the exam…

Symphony No. 4 in F Minor, Op. 36 – Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Saxophone Concerto in E-Flat Major, Op. 109 – Alexander Glazunov

25 Preludes, Op. 30: No. 4 in C-Sharp Minor – Reinhold Gliere

Stage Four: Post Exam

It’s over. It’s finally over. 16 weeks worth of work and you can finally trudge back home to look yourself in the mirror and say “You can’t hurt me anymore, Armstrong finals.” But! You either know you did well or did bad. Maybe that last question wasn’t ‘A’…but you put ‘C’…

• Did you feel good about the exam?
  • All Star – Smash Mouth
• Did you feel bad about the exam?
  • The Saddest Day – Converge