As the Santa Clara Community toils its way through dead week and finals week, spring break seems an eternity away. With the culmination of projects, papers, presentations, and exams, the end of the quarter can quickly spin out of control as students buckle down to do whatever it takes to ensure the highest grades possible. For some kids, this means hours of cramming in the library, however, working smart is just as important as working hard. Here are some tips to maximize your grades and minimize the stress of preparation.
1. Ask your professors what’s going to be on the final and what format the questions will be in.
Email your professor during the evening, confirming that they will be available for office hours the next day, saying something similar to “Hello Professor, I have begun reviewing for the exam and have some questions I would like to run by you. I wanted to know if tomorrow would be a convenient time to come by and discuss a few things.” Be sure to at least look over the material before so you have an idea of what to ask. When you get to the meeting, don’t ask them questions such as “What’s going to be on the test?” rather, “Is there any part of the material that I should emphasize while I study?” or “What would you go over if you were preparing for the exam?” When you arrive, ask him or her how their day is going, smile, and show them how awesome you are. When you leave, thank him or her, and say you are hoping to get a good grade on the final and in the class. By going to see them at office hours, they will remember you better and know you are putting in extra effort. If they end up curving the class, they might help you out a little and bump you up.
2. Study someplace new.
If you’ve been procrastinating every night in your dorm room for the last nine and half weeks, it might be good to have a change of scenery. Try to find a quiet spot on campus away from distractions so you can actually get some work done..
3. Avoid the library.
The library is packed during the last two weeks of the quarter, making finding a spot even harder than usual. There are plenty of other places to study around campus that tend to be less crowded. Eliminate the added stress of finding a table by studying somewhere else.
Also, with all of the people using it, the place is a veritable cess pool of germs and bacteria. Taking a test or writing a paper is no fun healthy, imagine doing it sick.
4. Use groups to review material, not actually study.
Some people learn better in groups, others solo, so it’s up to you to know what works best. Keep in mind, however, that traditionally the more people you study with (and the better you know them), the less actual work gets done. Keep those groups small.
5. Get a solid meal the night before and the morning of the big test.
Use finals week as an excuse to eat off campus slightly more often. You or your friends are probably a little low on points anyways. Go to your favorite restaurant, the food will be excellent, and the study break will be nice, too. You deserve it.
6. Know when to cut your losses.
We all have a point where studying more will not help your grade. Be able to know when you get to this point and switch to working on something else. Getting sleep is as important for doing well as mastering the material is, so keep both in balance. Sometimes its best to call it an early night, wake up the next morning refreshed, and hit the books again.
7. Distinguish between what you can and can’t control.
As students, we tend to forget this fairly often. If your professor decides to throw you and the rest of the class under the bus by extending the test length or adding more material, there isn’t much you can do about it, unfortunately. Rather than stress about it, focus on the things in your control, such as the amount and quality of time spent on each class. Also, if you chose to skip 60% of your classes this quarter, don’t act surprised when you have a rough finals week.
8. Try new methods of studying.
There are some great free flashcard apps you can download for your smartphone that will help make memorization easier. Similarly, the easiest way (in my experience) to memorize notes for either a test or in-class essay is to simply retype them over and over. Read over what you wrote in class, and then type out everything you can remember without rechecking your notes. Once you’re finished, see what you missed and keep doing this until the material is ingrained in your head.
9. Relax. Be confident.
Yes, grades are important, we all know that. Remember that when people get nervous, they tend to make stupid mistakes on tests that lower their grade. Keep in mind that a B+ is alright, and as soon as you get that sweet job offer for after graduation, whether or not you had an A- or a B+ in Econ 1 isn’t going to matter nearly as much as you thought it would. If you think you’re going to do well, you probably will do well, and vice versa. Listen to soothing music while you study and before the test. Remember to breathe deeply. Trust yourself, you’ve got this.
Finally, remember that finals week will end, one way or another. Come Friday we have ten days to get our minds right for spring quarter.
Good luck!