It’s almost time to go home for Thanksgiving break so you know what that means…. It’s almost time for F I N A L S! This could be a daunting time for many students, especially if it’s your first year. That being said, here are a few study tips to help you get through this difficult time.
- Don’t procrastinate
This one probably seems very obvious. However, time can slip away from you before you even realize it. If you start studying now, you’ll be well prepared for your finals. Just take a little bit of material at a time each day so you don’t overwhelm yourself.
- Stay organized
Organization is the key to success! Make a list of all the finals you have. Then, make subcategories for each class of each chapter or section you need to study for the final. This way, you can study a different section each day instead of trying to study for everything every day. It might also help you if you calculate what you need on the final to keep or get a certain grade. This is not to say what’s the lowest you can get to keep your B, but to see if your wanted grade is achievable. If I currently have a 72 in statistics, I’d need over a 100 on the final to get an A in the class, so it is not achievable. However, if I have a 78 and want a B in the class, that is attainable.
- Visit your professor’s office hours
While this might not work for every professor, it could work for some. If finals are approaching and there’s still some material you don’t understand, go ask your professor! They’re paid to teach you this material so usually, they would be more than happy if you stopped by for more clarification. It shows them that you care about your grade and want to succeed in their class
- Don’t overwhelm yourself
I know it’s hard to believe, but there IS such a thing as over studying. There’s nothing wrong with pulling an all nighter every once and a while but if you’re staying up for 2 days straight to study for a test it will do you more harm than good. Your body needs sleep to function properly. If you don’t give yourself a minimum of 6-8 hours of sleep your body will shut down and you’ll begin to feel sluggish. You might think that staying up all night will better prepare you but what happens when you get to the exam and have a complete brain fart? Or even worse, decide to take an hour nap before the exam starts and end up oversleeping and missing the exam completely? Good luck explaining that one to your professor and parents.
All in all, finals time can be quite scary. There’s so much to prepare for in so little time. With these tips, you can conquer your finals and come out on top!