As the middle of January draws near, freshmen are venturing into unknown territory.

Freshmen are taking on the challenge of finals for the first time this week.

Trying to manage finals can be just as much a challenge as the tests themselves.

“I’m okay with it,” freshman Carissa Lehning said. “I’m just trying to figure out [how] I’m gonna study for everything at once.”

For some, the challenge is more manageable than for others.

“I’m pretty stressed out,” freshman Nick Rosenorn said. “I’ve been asking a lot of older kids about stuff like this, [but] I don’t know, I’m kinda scared.”

Students study for their classes in a multitude of ways.

“We got a packet to go over for math, and I’m doing that packet,” freshman Joseph Pantano said. “[For] all the other classes, I’m just reading the textbooks.”

For many, textbooks are the way to go for studying.

“[When I’m studying,] I look in the book, and I look over all the vocabulary that they use,” freshman Jennifer Bhasker said.

Technology also has an impact on how students study for finals.

“For Human Geo, I made a Quizlet and a Kahoot,” Rosenorn said.

Time also plays into how students prepare.

“I’m studying for an hour at home, but most of the time, I’m studying in school,” Pantano said.

For students who are on the edge of an A or a B, studying can make all the difference.

“I’ve mainly just studied Human Geo because I’m right on the border [between grades],” Rosenorn said.

Grades are a huge motivation for students to put more effort into studying for finals.

“I really care about my math grade,” Pantano said. “I care about all my other classes, but out of all of them, I care about my math [the most].”

The timing of finals is aggravating for some students.

“I wish they were the week before winter break,” freshman Nicole Tabor said.

Overall, though, students are prepared for the oncoming storm of tests.

“Confidence is key, so technically, if you have confidence, then you are prepared,” freshman Vanessa Muñoz said.