So I am currently in the library sitting at a little cubical getting ready to study and I thought that it would be a great idea to write this post. Finals week is the probably the most dreaded week every semester for college students, myself included. It's nice outside, the school year is almost over, everyone is excited to go home yet they could go without saying goodbye to their friends. Here are some of my tips that are currently working for me because I am actually go through them as we speak.
1. Know your study habits.
Know what the best way for you to study is whether that be writing everything down again that you did the entire semester, flash cards, creating your own study guides, etc. If you don't know how you like to study going into college, test different things throughout the semester so you have a clear idea of how you are going to study during finals week. For me it is a combination of all of these things. I make flash cards of key words that I need to know the straight definitions for; I rewrite/make my own study guides by going through the notes that I took during class combined with the powerpoint of professor if available. Know the best way for you to study BEFORE finals week.
2. Explore the library before finals week.
Find a spot/area that you know you can focus in and even if that means being separate from what your friends are doing, it will be worth it in the end when you get a good grade. If you go to a school with an older library, like mine, it would be best if you found a spot that has an accessible outlet. It is serious competition for available outlets. There is another library that was built less than 10 years ago on my campus as well and there are plenty of outlets but again, it isn't always easy to find an open one. Take the time throughout the semester to find a place to study where is has everything you are looking for.
Here is my little study space in the library.
3. Listen to classical music.
If you like to listen to music all the time, like me, but you find that listening to music while you study is distracting, listen to classical music. Not having words in the music allows me to listen to music while still being able to focus on the task at hand. It can be relaxing but it also helps to block out the surrounding noises. Even in quiet areas of the library there can still be noise. If you don't want to spend money buying classical music on iTunes you can make a classical music station on Pandora which is easy and free. I have turned a bunch of my friends onto listening to classical music while they study and they find it really helps. Listening to classical music is a great way to still listen to music but not be distracted by the music.
4. Invest in long extension cords.
If you can get an extension that plugs into one outlet and then lets you plug 3 more things into it, it's amazing. You will never go wrong and it can create convenient study spaces when it doesn't seem like there is one.
5. There is no reason to take drugs.
A common practice among college students is to take adderall in order to focus and study for tests. Adderall is not necessary to well on tests. I have survived on caffeine and will power alone and I did fine. Adderall suppresses hunger so you basically run on nothing. You also don't feel tired on adderall so you can stay up for hours and sometimes days at a time. I have personally never taken it and never intend on taking it. Red Bull and tea have worked wonders for me and you can always substitute tea for coffee.
6. Get enough sleep.
Staying up all night is insane. Sleep is when you form your memories so make sure you factor in a good night's sleep into your study plan in order to do well on tests.
7. You can never set too many alarms.
Set multiple alarms so you make sure you get up for your tests. My earliest class this semester is 10:15 and I made my schedule that way because I know I can't get myself up that early on a weekly basis. Unfortunately, both of my finals this semester are at 8am. I know that I will ABSOLUTELY have to get a good nights sleep in order to be able to wake up for these exams. I am setting at least 10 alarms to go off every 5 minutes to ensure that I wake up. Plus, if your roommate is in your room when you are trying to wake up and you don't, your roommate will probably let you know your alarms are going off and you should get up.
These tips are just somethings that I think will help and you can take them as you will. To all those taking finals, good luck!!
Ta ta,
Jamie
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