The Final(s) Countdown: Student Government President Peter Amirato and other FAU students share their study tips and tricks to help you survive finals week

There are only two words that truly strike fear into a college student’s heart: finals week.

Luckily, FAU is riddled with seasoned upperclassmen who know just how to make the grade. Even luckier, they were willing to pass down that sage advice so we can all survive. And if you need a place to do all that studying, Student Body President Peter Amirato can tell you where to go. So take a breath, buy yourself that extra shot of espresso, and good luck!

Here’s what some FAU upperclassmen had to say about making it through finals week:

“From off the top of my head, my advice is to remember how crucial your GPA is and that it is much easier to drop it then bring it up. Try to exercise a little, get some more sleep than you usually do, study from time to time, with breaks of course, and stay organized. Remember, you’re only going to get back what you put in.” Tatiana Rivera (Criminal Justice, junior)

“Study study study!” Dipu Chiramel (Computer Science, junior)

“Don’t cram for exams at the last minute. Study chunks of the material throughout the semester. Studying right after lectures also helps retain information.” Dario Coral (Psychology, sophomore)

“Turn the professors’ power points into flash cards.” Paula Stack (Psychology, senior)

“I like to procrastinate, I need the pressure of a deadline to motivate me.” Rachel Patterson (English Literature, senior)

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Student Body President Peter Amirato, an ocean engineering major is a senior, so he’s been through finals week at FAU a few times. That’s why he collaborated with the College of Engineering to give students somewhere to study this week that is open 24 hours a day..

On Nov. 27, Amirato sent out an email out to all FAU students informing them that the “Cube,” a building in Engineering East, will be available to study in all day, every day from Dec. 2 until the very last day of finals. There will also be a policeman on duty at night to make sure everyone stays safe this study season.

“We needed a space, and [the Engineering building] is an area that identified early on that they had space available,” Amirato said. “So we started the conversations of if it is a possibility for us to make a study center there, and they said we could, so we moved on from there.”

But that’s not the only spot available for studying when it’s three in the morning and your roommate’s snoring just isn’t cutting it.

“We actually have other 24-hour places already on campus,” Amirato said. “We have, on top of the Hillel center, a 24-hour study center. Student government pays for the renovations there, we maintain that facility, and student government is actually recently going in a partnership with the facility to pay for the facility to have card access to make it a little safer. Also, the computer center is open 24 hours, which is right next to the library.”

However, there is a reason Amirato worked so hard to see the “Cube” become prime real estate for overnight study sessions.

“The reason I made this a big priority going into this semester was that any 24-hour suites that already exist, come finals week, [are] full,” Amirato said. “These other spaces are 24-hours all year round, but come finals time, you can’t find a seat.”

It was Amirato’s idea in the first place, but the whole process was a collaborative effort, both on his behalf and on the College of Engineering.

Amirato will be using these facilities to his advantage, as should anyone who has trouble focusing in their own rooms.

“I’m going to be at the study places all night every night,” Amirato said. “Because I need it.”

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