Even though your favorite kids movie may not be able to teach you about Le Chatelier’s Principle or the history of jazz music, they do possess some important lessons that can help you through the studying process. So instead of reading meaningless quotes online or blaring music to motivate you through finals, remember some of these movies and the messages you can take from them (and maybe even watch them as a stress relieving study break)!
1. Finding Nemo: Dory’s reminder to “Just Keep Swimming!”
If you ever feel like you may not make it to the end of the week or studying for a final seems like a lost cause, remember what Dory told Marlin during his journey to find Nemo: “Just keep swimming!” When Marlin felt like giving up in the search for Nemo because the chances of one tiny clown fish conquering the whole ocean to find him seemed improbable, Dory encouraged him not to give up but instead to keep swimming forward. Dory never reminded Marlin that the odds of him finding his son were slim and never told him he had to do anything more than to just keep swimming.
Even though finals may seem like a never ending process and there are times you feel like you may not make it to the end, there is an end. There will be a last final even though it seems impossible to think you will be alive to take it. The finals week journey of no sleep, high levels of stress, late nights, and endless amounts of caffeine can be overwhelming, but just imagine you have Dory whispering in your ear at the library: “Just keep studying!” She is not telling you that you have to be a master of the material or reminding you that you need a 90 on this exam or you will not get an A. All Dory is there for is to encourage you to keep studying and take things step by step. The only thing you can do is to study as much as you can and try your best. It is as simple as that. Dory understands that and so should every stressed out college student.
2. Shrek: Every one should study with at least one “Donkey.”
During the various journeys Shrek has been on, he has always had his loyal companion- Donkey. Even though to Shrek, Donkey always seems to be more annoying than helpful. At the end of his journey, Shrek always realizes how much having Donkey with him actually helped him conquer his challenges. He also realizes that having Donkey’s lighthearted attitude and sense of humor makes the whole journey easier and more enjoyable.
During finals week, I turn into a Shrek. I become an ogre. Because I am so stressed and exhausted, I tend to snap at people and panic if I do not understand something. Not only do other people hate being around me, I don’t even find it enjoyable to be around myself during finals week. But I found a solution to the problem! I found my “Donkeys.” Three of my guy friends and I have taken a habit of studying for every major exam we have together. It works out perfectly. While I am overly stressed, they are laid back and calm. We balance each other out. I encourage them to not procrastinate and to actually understand the material rather than just memorize it, and they remind me that tests are only tests and it is okay to take a breather every once in a while. Not only are we productive, but studying with them feels more enjoyable than it would if I was crammed in a little library cubicle by myself. So if you also feel like Shrek during finals week, find yourself a Donkey and laugh a little.
3. The Lion King: “Hakuna Matata! What a wonderful phrase.”
It is a song that almost everyone grew up listening to, and I do not know many people who hear the song and are not instantly put in a better mood. While studying endlessly for that final you know may not go as well as you would like, just keep the phrase in the back of your mind. Maybe you will not know all the information on the exam, but it is okay. Hakuna Matata! If you have spent the last three hours at the library typing a 15 page research paper and feel like giving up, put the Lion King tune on. You may feel silly humming along to a tune written for children, but wait and see how you feel after. Hopefully, you will instantly feel less stressed and can continue to pound out the paper without worrying about every last little detail you are typing.
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4. Up: “That might sound boring, but I think the boring stuff is the stuff I remember the most.”
You are probably wondering what a movie about: an elderly, angry widowed man, an overly eager wilderness explorer, a house being relocated with thousands of balloons to South America, and an elusive bird being chased by the world’s greatest explorer has to do with studying for finals. Honestly, it does not really have much to do with it, but the lovable wilderness explorer Russell does say something that I have always remembered. When discussing his relationship with his father, Russell was describing how his father and him used to get ice cream and sit on the curb eating and counting the colored cars that went by. After explaining this to Carl, Russell exclaimed: “That might sound boring, but I think the boring stuff is the stuff I remember the most.”
Like other college students, I resent finals. When I think of college, I think of the parties and the nights out and have always thought that when I look back at my college days I will remember the hockey games and the underwear runs. I never thought I would remember those late nights spent in the library trying to memorize 70 chemicals reactions with my friends. But then I think of what Russell said. Even though studying for finals may seem like the “boring stuff” in college, I think you would be surprised that people remember those late nights with friends and running to get coffee and pizza at 2 A.M.. Last fall semester, some of my friends and I went to the library on the Friday night before finals even though a great deal of students in our dorm were going out. The library was relatively empty, but I still remember how much fun we had playing Christmas music and quizzing each other about amphibians and reptiles.
5. The Emperor’s New Groove: There is a big difference between confidence and cockiness.
Taking a test without having any confidence will be a disaster, but on the contrary, being cocky about an exam may also lead to a poor grade. In The Emperor’s New Groove, Emperor Kuzco demonstrates that being cocky and arrogant will not end well (he is turned into a llama). An important aspect of finals is not simply knowing the material but mentally preparing yourself to actually take the test. Being overly nervous and lacking confidence is not an ideal mental state to ace an exam. At the same time though, even if you have done really well in the course all year, it does not mean you will do as well on the final. Cumulative finals require a great deal of preparation, and even if you had the information memorized early in the semester, it doesn’t mean you’ll recall it two months later on the final. Avoid being cocky like Emperor Kuzco and having the attitude that nothing can go wrong, instead, put in the necessary effort to go into each exam with confidence.