They hear about it constantly: Sleepless nights in the library and endless cups of coffee, study groups, last-minute cramming and something about filling in bubbles with a No. 2 pencil.
While the stress of a freshman's first college exams seems obvious, after just more than one month into the school year, some freshmen are realizing that the academics of UW-Madison are not as nerve-wracking as they had anticipated.
The weekend before his first exams Aaron Rea was back in Beloit, Wis., as he has been home every weekend since school began, visiting his girlfriend. He completely forgot to study for his chemistry and wildlife ecology exams. Yet, even as he prepared to take his chemistry exam, he was not worried. He had studied a good portion of the material in high school.
Yet while Rea has had little trouble adjusting to the study patterns that consume large portions of his day, finding his niche on campus is slightly more challenging. He has not found friends quite like those he left at home.
\There's nobody I can really connect with on a personal level,"" he said, though he is still optimistic that he will find good friends in Madison.
When not studying or attending class, Rea spends what little free time he has enjoying campus, such as by walking around the Allen Centennial Gardens near his dorm or taking a walk to the Capitol.
Yet being alone to escape studies is not the only way Rea is occupying his free time. Last week, for example, he went to donate blood, as he tries to do about twice each year.
""I think it's a good thing to do, you're helping other people,"" he said. ""If I ever get in a car wreck and lose a leg, I want there to be blood for me.""
Rea is also seriously considering taking advantage of his high tolerance for pain and giving plasma, which he has heard can earn him up to $250 a month.
In another dorm, in another part of campus, another freshman is also adjusting to her first semester at UW-Madison. Like Rea, Nadja also approached her first exams as calmly as possible. She studied several days for each exam, which paid off in her ILS class.
""It's hard because I was happy 'cause I got an 86 on my midterm but I never got a B in high school,"" she said.
Economics didn't go as well. After several days of diligent studying with a friend in the class, Nadja was disappointed with her grade.
""I just bombed on the test,"" she said.
Her friend received a 100 percent.
While Nadja is slowly realizing that good grades do not come easy here, life as a college student is proving rewarding. She tried out for the cheerleading team and made the white squad, which cheers at women's basketball games.
Practice runs for two and a half to three hours on Sundays and Tuesdays with an optional open stunt day on Thursday. While it is not competitive, Nadja admits it's the most difficult conditioning she's ever had. On one typical day, for example, the team had to run stadiums in the Field House, which consisted of running up the stairs, over and down again.
Even though she is adjusting well to college life, Nadja does miss one thing from life she left in Deerfield, Wisc.: sleep.
""I usually get four to five hours of sleep, if I'm lucky I get an hour or 2 in for a nap in the middle of the day,"" she said. ""I don't know where the day goes.\
