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SBU | Life > Academics

My Biggest Takeaways From My First Exams In College

Gabrielle Martin Student Contributor, St. Bonaventure University
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at SBU chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

As I am a freshman in college, I have taken a couple of college exams now. The lead up was complete stress for me. In high school, I barely had to study to end up with an A. However, college is a completely different ballgame.I knew these exams were gonna be a little trickier, so I went into them differently. Here are some of the tips that I use before I take a test.

1. Find a study buddy

What I have learned to be incredibly crucial is finding someone to study with. For me, I lucked out because my best friend and I took the same history class. This means, normally, if we have an exam on a Friday we will go to the library every night throughout the week and study. Either of us will grab a whiteboard and we will start putting information down. This is crucial because she is the only person who can relate to my stress level during history exam weeks. Having a support system is so crucial for the nights that you stress yourself out over everything.

2. Whiteboards

This is something I grew up doing in high school. Mostly for math classes but it can work for other classes as well. For me writing out my notes helps me go through everything in my notes again. I have tried reading my notes previously but it does not stick with me as well as writing it out does. It makes me understand all the information again and see if I missed anything during class time.

3. Explaining it like a teacher

This is something me and my best friend do after we finish whiteboards. To make sure we have all the information, we verbally go through it. We take every topic and explain it out loud as if it would be on a short response question. This is also another way to learn if you do not have a whiteboard. This is an easy way to study if you are resting in bed as well before going to sleep. You can just go through your notes verbally and make sure you can explain everything.

4. MAke sure to take breaks

This is something I am not the best at. When I start studying, it is hard for me to stop. Lately, I have been incredibly sick, so I have been taking more breaks while studying. This is why it is good to have a study buddy, so you can have someone to tell you if you need a break. Normally, if I need a break I will go on my phone for 5-10 minutes, talk to my friends for a couple of minutes about non-studying topics, or go grab a snack. My favorite snack while studying is hot chocolate.

Gabrielle Martin

SBU '27

Gabby Martin is a junior writer for HerCampus. This is her third year writing for this organization. She writes about her emotions and current life situations while also talking about mental wellbeing and self care.

Outside of HerCampus she is an Educational Studies major. She also participates in the BEA and Psychology Club. Her last two years writing for HerCampus brought her so much happiness that she cannot wait to embark on another amazing year with this chapter.

She is from Caledonia, New York which is about 30 minutes outside of Rochester. In her free time she's love to spend time with her friends going out to eat or going on walks. She love reality tv shows as well as cheesy romantic comedies. Her favorite food is bagels and she drinks a coffee every single morning when she wakes up. Her main goal in life is to have an imprint on someone's life or have a positive influence on the choices they make in life. She's a girl who definitely makes a ton of mistakes and tries to help others not make the same ones.