Live your best dead days life

By Amelia Davis     11/28/23 11:32pm

Final exams begin Dec. 6 for many students. The Monday and Tuesday of that week are study days where no classes are held, christened the “Dead Days” because campus is devoid of much life outside of frantic revision. Here is a list of study breaks where you can regain a balance of emotional and mental health before diving into exams … not to mention the long winter break with family. 

The Rice Programs Council Traditions Committee is hosting a “Sleigh Your Finals” study break Dec. 5 at 8 p.m. in the Grand Hall. Food and fun activities will be provided. In addition to this, the RPC’s Passport to Houston committee is giving out subsidized tickets for multiple showings of “A Christmas Carol” at the Alley Theatre in early December. 

Sid is holding Sid Skates Dec. 5 from 9:15 to 10:45 p.m. During this time, Sid will have exclusive access to the Galleria ice skating rink. If you are a Sidizen, brush up on your skating skills and prepare to show up to your first exam bruised but relaxed! 

---

---

The day before, Hanszen College will rent out Houston Galleria’s indoor skating rink for Hanszen on Ice. Hanszen is also holding Bubbles and Panettone on Dec. 5, a magister-held holiday-themed study break that is a once-a-year event that you should be sure not to miss. 

If that is not enough skating for you, or you are not a resident of either college, R-Ice Skating is holding a holiday skate Dec. 2 from 9:15-11:15 p.m. at the Galleria for $10 per person, with skate rentals and snacks included. 

Duncan College, among hosting other study breaks such as open origami and crochet lessons, movie nights in the quad and picnics in the Duncan garden, will have one last big event: Roobilation, a play on the word jubilation and their mascot, the kangaroo. A potluck-style celebration on Dec. 3, Duncan’s entire core team of resident associates and magisters open up their homes and kitchens for students to cook in. Come to decorate Duncan commons, stay for food and fellowship with the entire college. 

McMurtry College is holding a senior class wedding on Dec. 2, a holiday party on Dec. 5 and other assorted college study breaks. Watching your peers be joined in holy matrimony is perhaps the only time a wedding will be less stressful than exams, so take advantage of it.

If you wish to unwind with the arts, you could visit Laure Provost’s exhibition, which is open from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily until Dec. 14 at the Moody Center. Otherwise, Rice Cinema is showing Aalto, a movie about a Finnish architect, at 7 p.m. on Dec. 1. Additionally, that night, the Shepherd School Symphony Orchestra is holding the Transcending Heights concert at 7:30 p.m., with Beethoven and Brahms being performed. 

For those who wish to get away from studying by getting their hands dirty, join the weekly urban farm volunteer hours Dec. 3, from 9 a.m. to noon. The Urban Farm is located behind the Gibbs Recreation Center and next to O’Connor Field.

For English students lucky enough to be writing essays instead of taking exams, celebrate your superior major on Nov. 29 at 8 p.m. in Herring Hall Lounge with a journal-decorating study break held by the English Undergraduate Association. 

---