It has taken forever to write this first sentence.

I have been staring at this page for hours, not knowing how to start this end-of-semester conversation about getting prepared for final exams.

Then it struck me. I remember this feeling — we all remember this feeling. We all remember sitting there, trying to write that first sentence to the last paper of the semester: trying to conjure up the way to catch your professor’s eye and make a lasting impression in the grade book.

That’s what is so special about your experience at UK. The lessons you are learning today will stick with you for a lifetime. Developing new study techniques, fighting through writer’s block and pulling together a presentation at a moment’s notice will lay the groundwork for a successful career.

The skills you are developing over the next couple of weeks — and throughout your educational career — will pay dividends down the road.

It will help you when your boss asks you to put together a PowerPoint presentation — for tomorrow. Or when you are called upon to make a sales pitch at an international convention. Or when the director of your play asks you to fill in for a scene for which you have not memorized the lines.

Whether this is your first round of finals or the last before you earn that degree, take this challenge seriously. Go out and attack your finals, and finish the year on a positive note.

We also want you to have some fun during this process. That is why we have designed the Finals Midnight Crunch Brunch, which will be held in Memorial Coliseum on Monday from 9 p.m. to midnight. Break away from your computer or the library to come and have a meal with us. It is a great opportunity to meet college deans and other administrators, as well as to relieve stress during this hectic time of year.

Best of luck on your finals, and I hope you enjoy your holiday break. I cannot wait to see all of you back on campus in January.

Lee T. Todd Jr.

UK president