They come one by one, offering gifts with the urgent hopes that good fortune will smile on them in their direst time of need. No, they're not ancient Mayans. They are students at the University of Maryland, trying anything to appease the terrapin spirits of exam week.
In a custom that has flourished during the last decade, stressed-out students leave offerings at "Testudo," the terrapin statue in front of the campus' McKeldin Library. By the end of exam week, the bronzed statue is covered in candy, cigarettes, beer, condoms, candles, jewelry, wine, coins, cupcakes, firecrackers -- anything and everything a 300-pound mascot would want.
Before leaving the sacred shrine, students rub the nose of their beloved "Testudo" to seal their good fortune. Or if not good fortune, at least to just pass.
It's exam time once again and you can spot them a mile away: students walking around college campuses in a stupor, eyes glazed over, unwashed hair, backs sagging under the weight of overstuffed bookbags. According to the Maryland Higher Education Commission, there are more than 70,000 college students in the Baltimore area. At this time of the year, they are frantically sharpening their No. 2 pencils and searching out their favorite cramming spots.
Adam Overbey's roommate is running up and down the stairwells of their dormitory at Towson University, screaming at the top of his lungs. But Overbey isn't concerned. "He always does that when he's stressed out," the junior explains calmly. "The screaming usually only lasts a few minutes, and everybody in the building is sort of used to it by now."
Overbey, a biology major from Waldorf, is secure in his 3.8 grade-point average, but even he isn't always totally calm at exam time. "Sometimes I have trouble staying awake in class [so] when the final exam for Chem[istry] 102 came up, I felt like I had to learn a whole semester in one day."
Cramming seems to be the preferred method of studying for Goucher College freshman Melissa Lewis, too. The dancer's packed schedule doesn't allow much room for error when it comes to studying. In addition to her regular course load, she has dance classes twice a day.
"I'm exhausted when I get out of practice at 9 or 10 o'clock at night," says Lewis, from Montgomery, Ala. "It's hard to stay up late and study, never mind have a social life."
As exam mania sweeps the area, librarians feel the displaced stress of the students. The general agreement among librarians at colleges is that the number of students frequenting the library spikes in early December.
"Everyone looks like zombies," says Gail Bryer, a circulation librarian at the Loyola/Notre Dame library. "You can feel that the kids are tired, tense, and just want to go home for the holidays."
For some, neither cramming nor the library can provide exam stress relief. Glen Roy Shelton, editor-in-chief of Morgan State's newspaper, the Spokesman, claims his brand of studying is unique. "I can't study in the library for days in advance, but I don't cram either," says the senior. The day before the exam he reads over the text, goes to sleep for a few hours, wakes up, reads over his notes, takes another nap, and repeats the cycle until the hour of the exam arrives.
Does it work?
"One time I was so prepared for an exam the night before. I really knew the stuff," he recalls. "As soon as I walked through the door [for the exam], I got writer's block -- I couldn't remember anything. ... I was so upset, I had to leave the room -- I almost cried."
Eventually, Shelton returned to the room and squeaked through the exam.
Kimara Glaser, a sophomore at Johns Hopkins University, is methodical about studying, too. She works at the reserve desk ** at the JHU library and normally can eke out some study time during her shift. But that becomes difficult during exam week. "Some people come to the reserve desk requesting 12 articles that they were supposed to have read during the semester," she says.
What they don't know is that the library has a limit of two articles at a time. As a result, the students have to sit in the library and read all night long.
"The library is open 24 hours a day, so some people just don't ever leave," Glaser says. "They might go home for an hour to brush their teeth and take a shower, but then they are right back at their desks."
Rubbing turtle noses is not the only stress-relief custom in the region, of course.
Halfway through finals week at Johns Hopkins, about a dozen young men and women streak -- as in the nude -- through the library, then around campus. The call to action comes from an unknown organizer, who sends a mass e-mail to students.
Leslie Rice, a member of the media relations department at Johns Hopkins, attributes the naked chaos to stress. "It's certainly not a regular occurrence," she says, "but it has been known to happen during finals week."
At UM, a run to Testudo is a safer bet. For doubters, Rebecca Schwartz, student coordinator for the school's campus ambassadors, relates this tale:
During the refacing of McKeldin Library in 1989, fences were put up at the front of the building, limiting access to the mascot. Students couldn't leave offerings or even touch Testudo's nose.
"That semester the campus GPA fell 1 percent," Schwartz says. "The next semester, when Testudo was back in reach, the GPA went back up to its original number."
Cool cramming
Cool places to cram, away from the madding crowd:
* Silk Road Cafe: Tranquility abounds in this little cafe, which offers delicious dishes at student-friendly prices, fresh coffee and a separate room perfect for studying. 3215 N. Charles St., (410) 889-1319. 11 a.m-11 p.m., 7 days a week.
* Barnes and Noble: In the words of one studious patron, "This place is perfect because they have soothing classical music, excellent coffee, and they never rush you. It's so relaxing." 1 E. Joppa Road, (410) 296-7021. 9 a.m.-11 p.m., 7 days.
* Sculpture Gardens of the Baltimore Museum of Art: When it's too nice to stay in the library, head to the sculpture gardens just outside of the BMA. Admission to the gardens is free, and students can jam their brains full of information amid masterpieces by Rodin, Alexander Calder and Isamu Noguchi. If it rains, pay $4 and retreat inside to study in a quiet, inellectual setting. 10 Art Museum Drive, (410) 396-7100. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday-Friday; 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday-Sunday.
* Daily Grind Coffeehouse: One employee says the reason students love to study here is because "all of the employees are a little nuts and we try to create a fun place for people to relax." 501 W. Cold Spring Lane, (410) 235-8118. 7 a.m.-10 p.m., 7 days.
* Royal Farms: This convenience store offers the ideal setting for late-night crammers -- it's well-lit, with cheap coffee and a second floor full of tables. Roland and West 36th St., Hampden, (410) 889-9444. 24 hours a day, 7 days.
Pub Date: 12/15/98