With final exams right around the corner and this semester coming to a close, I’ve realized I might not have prepared as well as I could have. Sure, this semester was alright, but hindsight is 20/20 and I'm hoping that next time around I'll go in with full vision. Here are some tips so maybe you can, too.
1. Take Notes On The Reading
Inevitably you will be tested on what you read. If that test comes months later, you might not remember every single world so clearly. So taking note of the different chapters, subsections and the important nuggets of information within them as the semester progresses can really save you from trying to do that all that two days before the final exam.
2. At Least Skim
Let’s be honest, it’s hard to do all the reading. This is especially true when the reading consists of 40 or 50 pages every night and you have to read the same amount for assigned in 3 different classes. Your first reaction might be to read a little and then hope you can fill in the rest in class but, whatever you do at least skim. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself staring blankly at the last 7 chapters of your textbook wondering what led you to this sad, dark place.
3. Find a Buddy And Get Their Number
From the very beginning of every class, find someone who you can rely on. Whether you're texting them to answer questions, find out when the next exam is or just to complain about how much work you still have to do come finals. It’s cathartic and you may be able to make a new friend.
4. Form a Study Group Early
Get some people together from the class who you know can help you as much as you can help them. Commit to studying before exams and tests and work out a way to share notes with one another so you can lessen the workload altogether. I think about this every semester and never do it, but come finals, that could really come in handy.
5. Study With Your Friends
Get in the habit of doing homework together. You’re all in college, so you all have homework and you know what’s better than doing it alone at 1am? Doing it with your buddies until 1am because you couldn’t stop laughing about the “hot Pockets” theme song.
6. Get To Know Your Professor
This person teaching you holds something very near and dear in their hands and if they don’t know you well, they might not be able to take care of it. That thing, my friends, is your GPA. Know your professor, talk to them outside of class, make sure that when grading time comes around they can honestly thing “Oh, what a nice student”. It might go a long way…then again it might not, but having that relationship with them will make it that much easier to…
7. Ask For Help
You may struggle and when you do, don’t be afraid to go to the people who know more than you. That might be your professor, or another professor, or the senior who took this class before. Whatever you do, don’t go it alone simply because you're shy or scared or filled with foolish pride. If you don't understand something, ASK FOR HELP.
8. Take Note of Important Terms
Now’s the time to start making flashcards and at least attempting to study them. If a professor says it more than three times, there's a pretty good chance you should know what it means. If it's bolded in the textbook, there's a pretty good chance you should know what it means. If it finds it way into one of their powerpoints, there's a pretty good chance you should know what it means. Don't wait until the last minute to make sure you know what it means.
9. Stick To a Study Schedule
The same way you know to eat lunch at, say, 12:45, you should be on such a great study schedule that you expect to be studying most days at 8:30. Pick a time, find a place and stick to it. Make room in your schedule for the things that matter systematically and you won’t have to cram it all in at the end.
10. Pay Attention to What Has Worked For You
Personally, I’ve learned that I focus more when I’m standing, that having cold water near me is a good plan, that I don’t mind reading in bed in the mornings and evenings and that I can easily go over my notes while I wait in line for food. Somehow, that hasn’t led to me working with these things more frequently, but it should. If you've noticed that something works, by all means, incorporate it. Not doing so would be like a driver saying, "Oh, gas makes the car run?" and then continuing to fill it up with sugar water. Don't do that.
With all this information, I hope you all, each and every one of you, are able to make it out of this semester alive. If you don't, remember, there’s always next time.
