...finals week here at UAF!!
Oh, no! The horror! :O
Actually, finals week isn't too bad. Well, actually, it is. It IS that bad.
We are constantly running around borrowing notes, drinking coffee by the pot, checking out textbooks, taking caffeine pills, and whatever else us crazy, college students do to keep going.
However, there are somethings that we do to "study" that, in reality, isn't really doing too much. And these are common things that everybody (and I mean EVERYBODY) does. Including myself. If you catch yourself doing any of these things: stop, take a minute, breathe, and refocus on your task at hand.
#7 Photocopies, notes, and textbooks.
This happens to everyone. Thinking that by hoarding textbooks, notes, handouts, and whatever else we can get our hands on related to the topic is going to help. WRONG. You are wasting precious study time by trying to get all of this excess material together and then when it actually comes to sitting down and opening a book, you feel overwhelmed. There is too much to handle right in front of you that you feel discouraged. So, STOP, take a deep breath, and a step at a time.
#6 Highlighters
Highlighters are NOT magic, people. When we highlight, we tend to quickly skim through the reading thinking everything we see is important. So we highlight and highlight and highlight to realize that it looks like a unicorn threw up all of the colors of the rainbow on your textbook. Instead, try writing the stuff out. You'll know if you have too much information because your hand will get tired.
# 5 Homes and nests made from books.
No. This isn't going to help either. Look back at #7. You will spend more time making the perfect nest to study than actually studying.
#4 Re-reading notes.
Wrong. I'm notorious for this. We think, "Oh, man. I can study by re-reading notes and text and be on Facebook all at the same time!" Nope. Doesn't work. When you find yourself doing this, stop. And actually DO what you are studying. For me, that would be acting out scenes, working on my monologue or drawing out a potential set. If you are actually absorbing the material, do problems that are going to reinforce your knowledge.
#3 Best way to prepare for exams?
By DOING an exam. Seriously. Make sure to get a final review or maybe a final from the class before.
#2 Skip the pity-party.
Saying "I'm SO screwed" is NOT going to help your situation. So you missed class, the class is really hard, the professor hates you, your dog ate your homework, whatever. It's in the past. You can't do anything about it now. Just focus on what you are doing RIGHT NOW.
#1 Do not blame anybody else, but you!
The bottom line is is that YOU are the one who has to take the exam. Again, by trying to blame somebody isn't going to grant you a miracle from God. What you need to do is bite the bullet and crack open the textbook. College isn't pretty.
All of these tips I got from cracked.com. Take a look at their page. (Their page is HILARIOUS).
Good luck with finals, folks!
Cheers!
-Dion T.
