As a prospective Writing Seminars major, most of my courses are heavy on the writing and discussion, and light on actual examinations. Still, the first finals examination period of my college career feels crazy intense (do Hopkins students ever sleep??) and at the same time, awesome—a year ago, I was busy freaking out over college applications, and all of a sudden I’m getting pumped up for my first ever college finals! Where did the time go?!
Thanks to my absolutely amazing and adorable upperclassmen friends, who have taken me under their wing like a little sister (love you guys!), I’m a little bit more well-equipped to tackle college finals than some of my friends (and I’m assuming some of you, HC JHU readers!). In the spirit of collaboration and BlueJay solidarity, here are a few of my tips on aceing this finals period and making it to winter break with a pile of A’s in hand!
Location, location, location.
Having a great study place is absolutely essential. Whether you’re somebody who needs peace, quiet, and privacy to study, or if you’re somebody who has to have friends around and noise in the background, there’s an insane amount of awesome little nooks and crannies around Hopkins to get your studying on. For people who prefer a more quiet, less loud area, the Quiet Reading Room in the BLC is one of the most quiet places I’ve ever been in! There’s also your room or your living room/lounge, depending on how social your hall is, and there’s also the little study cubicles in C and D Level of the MSEL. For those of you who like a slightly louder environment, one of my personal faves is the Hut in Gilman, which has super comfy couches with a gorgeous view, as well as the Atrium, the Beach (for a little bit of fresh air!) and the common areas in Brody. And finally, for everyone who just can’t study without lots of noise and people, there’s always the BLC Cafe, Nolan’s, and the common areas and study rooms on Q, A, and B level in the MSEL. Wherever you prefer, make sure you plan out when you’ll be studying, and have an alternate location ready in mind just in case you get there to find that somebody else has already snagged your spot! With a mapped-out schedule of where you’ll be studying, you’re more likely to grab your books and laptop and get crackin’!
Be prepared!
As a Girl Scout, my troop leader always told me to “Be prepared!”. Even though she was talking about camping, the same motto still rings true for finals period! You can only be at your best productivity-wise if you are fully prepped and ready to go with your study essentials. For me, that means having my Macbook Air, my charger, my headphones, and pen and paper! Depending on what I’m working on, I also like to bring along textbooks, scrap paper, and little post it notes to mark important stuff in my books! [pagebreak]
Emergency supplies!
It’s also important to always have some snacks and a drink with you when you’re studying. I like to bring my Brita water bottle, so I can stay hydrated while working, and also a coffee to keep my energy up! My personal fave is Starbucks’ Peppermint Mocha! I also usually bring something to munch on so I don’t feel tempted to interrupt my studying and go grab a sandwich at Brody. Good choices include popcorn, trail mix, nuts, granola bars, pretzels, and carrot sticks! Sometimes if I know I’m going to be studying for a long, long, looong time, I like to bring along a sandwich from Subway’s or grab a to-go box from the FFC, so I can just keep powering through!
Reward yourself.
While it’s good to have a strong work ethic, it’s also important to give yourself little breaks every now and then so that you don’t drive yourself crazy! I like to take little 15-minute breaks every 1-2 hours so I can pop by the bathroom, check my email/Facebook, reply to texts, and just give my brain a break. When you come back from your break you’ll be refreshed and ready to keep going! Another tidy trick is to reward yourself with candy (like gummy bears or Swedish fish!) while you work; place a piece of candy on every paragraph, and then let yourself eat it when you finish reading that part! Breaking up the monotony of studying makes it so much easier to stay focused when you are studying.
Get lots of rest!
There’s only so much that reading, outlining, and doing practice problems the night before an exam can do for you. After a certain point, you’re just going to feel tired and way too full of facts and numbers to remember anything else! It’s important to get lots of rest the night before your finals, or else you’ll be drowsy and unfocused during the actual exam. So close the books, put on your comfiest PJ’s, and hop into bed. It’s time for a well-earned rest!
Good luck on your finals, Collegiettes™!