Last week was Heck Week and now finals week has arrived at the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology campus. With days of nearly nonstop study marathons and the total elimination - well nearly -- of a social life, it's time to feed the brain.

Danielle Olinger, 20, a geology major, had given a morning presentation, another project was due the next morning plus two take-home tests were slated to be turned in earlier this week. Her next final test is scheduled sometime today and the last final will fall on Thursday.

"Thursday will be my most stressful day," she said.

Even as she talks about her list of projects, presentations and tests, frown lines appear on her face as her shoulders droop into a slump.

"I'll start studying this weekend and all throughout next week until my last final," she said.

As a way to keep all the coeds motivated, faculty and staff tied on their apron strings to serve the annual "Late-Night Study Breakfast" from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. last Sunday, according to Breanna Bishop, media relations coordinator at School of Mines.

"The Student Activities and Leadership Center offers this for all students," Bishop said. "They want them all powered up for what will be a hard week."

Besides the pancake feed to fuel the brain, Olinger will rely upon her favorite foods: cheese-flavored crackers and peanut butter. Other snack favorites include nacho chips and, interestingly enough, cranberries.

"They were using them to decorate the tree and they decided to give me the leftovers because I make stuff," she said.

Inside of her refrigerator are condiments for foods she doesn't have, along with some leftover pizza and a bowl of tuna. She doesn't drink coffee, relying on her own stamina and plenty of water to stay alert through the long hours of study. Olinger isn't worried about what she will eat, but plans to empty out her larder of crackers and peanut butter before Christmas break.

"I don't have time to go shopping," she said.

While some find that three meals a day may sustain them through finals, others have to have something to snack on when they study.

Barbara Holway of the Miner's Shack, a campus snack bar, said she has noticed an increase in customers buying Red Bull â" a caffeinated cold drink - coffee, popcorn, wraps and pizza.

Holway and her colleagues have been busily making 7- and 16-inch pizzas to keep up with demands. Boxed and ready to transport, the pizzas may serve as dinner or a snack for a late-night study break, she said.

"Our pizza is very popular," she said.

"I snack constantly while studying," said Eric Taylor of San Bernardino, Calif.

The School of Mines freshman, who has a football scholarship, doesn't drink soft drinks or indulge in coffee. But he eats Pop Tarts, crackers and apples, washing them all down with Gatorade, Powerade and plenty of water. "I try to stay a little bit healthy," he said of his late-night eating habits.

Sarah Kelly, Peterson Hall director, has helped keep the dormitory's quiet hours from 8 p.m. throughout the night and early mornings while students study for their finals. She has noticed that dorm residents have been staying close to campus.

"They're staying in the building as much as possible," she said.

Study groups have been using the Surbeck Center lounge as they go through their classroom notes before testing. One group began its study session at 6 p.m. and finished at 7 the following morning, an hour before the test, she said.

"They had brought in an entire case of caffeinated soda," Kelly said.

Last week, Christine Carey and Nancy Sleeper, both of Rapid City and both University of South Dakota nursing students, were studying for a Tuesday nursing final in the Miner's Shack.

Asked what fueled them through the late-night study hours, they both answered "coffee."

"Caffeine, junk food and anything easy (to make)," Carey said.

Although she drinks water here and there with an occasional Mello Yello, her cup of half-cappuccino, half-coffee keeps away the need to snooze.

"I also eat fish the night before a test because I read that it helps the brain remember facts," Carey said.

Despite her name, Sleeper was wide awake after drinking a strong cup of coffee.

"I read coffee is supposed to help jolt the memory," Sleeper said

During finals, she eats convenience foods, leftovers or fresh vegetables.

"I like to cook. It's my break from schoolwork," she said.

Although she hadn't heard about the fish theory, Sleeper is willing to try it.

"Maybe I'll cook my fish in coffee," she joked.

Coffee blend an eye-opener

Owners Sean Rice and Robert Klinefelter of Dunn Bros Coffee in Rapid City serve gallons of coffee to college students. They also offer ground coffee for students to brew at their dorm rooms. "We do grind our beans for drip coffee makers," Rice said. "It's roasted daily, and it's fresh."

Breakfast Blend

7 parts Colombia coffee

3 parts Sumatra coffee

12 cups water

Depending on strength, using teaspoons or tablespoons, spoon coffee into filtered coffee basket. Add water to reservoir. Turn on machine. Rice recommends a medium-roasted coffee for a bigger kick and dark roast for a stronger taste. Breakfast Blend is one of the popular coffees sold during finals week. The blend is already mixed for sale at Dunn's. A convenient 96-ounce box of brewed coffee, Joe-To-Go, is sold for $13.90 and serves eight 12-ounce cups of coffee.

Contact Jomay Steen at 394-8418 or jomay.steen@rapidcityjournal.com.