Finals are fast approaching and the fear, the tears, and the anxiousness are setting in.
Students start spending all their time in the library and begging teachers to pass certain classes.
As I am nearing my final year of college, I want to give some tips and tricks on how to study and deal with finals stress.
So, here are the top ten things I would recommend when preparing for finals:
#1. Schedule time to study. I know this sounds like common sense, but it is a lot better when you have a planner or your schedule written down.
It makes everything more organized and you can also then plan out time for breaks and what specifically you are going to study.
#2. Set realistic goals. Studying an hour for one exam and expecting to know everything is not realistic.
It is best to focus on one section or maybe a few chapters of a textbook and really hammer the specific information in before heading on to the next thing.
#3. Be kind to yourself during practice quizzes. A lot of textbooks and professors provide practice quizzes before an exam, and some students make flashcards to quiz themselves.
However, when you are constantly getting things wrong it can seem like you know nothing at all. Be kind to yourself. The information will come with time.
#4. Highlighters are your best friend. Highlight and annotate your textbooks if you can so you can mark important information.
Then, and this is the important part, go back and reread what you highlighted or annotated so the ideas stick.
#5. Head to the Learning Center. The Learning Center is a great place to get tutoring before the big week of finals and it helps when you have a peer there to help you along the way.
#6. If you are writing a paper: do your research. The library at SXU provides an online database of scholarly articles that are great to quote from.
It also looks better when you have a quote from an academic journal than a website found on Google. And you learn something new in the process.
#7. Do not let the stress of finals take over your life. It is one week, and you will make it through.
Be ready, but also take time for yourself and do things you enjoy while preparing as well. Self-care is just as important.
#8. Get a writing consultant. If you are writing a final paper, go to the Learning Center and have one of the writing consultants help you. They are a great resource and should not be taken for granted.
#9. Go in with confidence. Chances are, if you think you’re going to fail you just might, so walk in with confidence that everything will turn out okay.
#10. It is okay if you do not reach your goal. You are more than just a grade and just know that everything will turn out okay.
These are the ten tips I would suggest going into finals. Get prepped, get ready, and go be stellar students because you got this!
Emily Rubino
Opinions Editor