It’s that time of year again – the holiday music is being piped into every retail establishment from main street to the mall. Bells are ringing outside of every grocery store and coins are tinking in red kettles. In some parts of the country snow is flying and lights are twinkling on houses, trees and even the occasional car. All of these are not only indicaitons of the holiday season, but also of the time of year when college students, of all ages, all across the nation are finishing up their semesters, terms, or quarters. Which means many learners have only one thing on their mind – FINALS. For some courses, this means an exam, some a project, others a paper or reflection of practical application. Whatever it means for your class, here are a few tips to thrive, not just survive, the end of your courses.
- As we’ve said before, the physical space you use for studying can be quite important. You’ll want to minimize distractions, be comfortable and have all of your study materials handy. Make sure your family and friends know that you need this space, and time, to study.
- Don’t just read and cram through your text book. Make yourself a study guide. This can be as simple as an outlined list of the i
mportant topics to understand or if it works better for you a concept map of the topics from the course and how they connect. The most important point here is to be conscientious in your studying – we’ve all ‘read’ a page, or even a chapter, in a book and realized that not a single concept was absorbed. If your system is key points on sticky notes, rock it – find what works for you. - Make a schedule for yourself. Work backward from the date of the exam, the due date of the paper or project and be realistic. Don’t overschedule yourself. Explain to friends and family that until you’re complete with this course, you’ll need a little extra help, and you’ll have to say no to some things you’d love to do.
- That said, be sure to include SOME fun in your schedule or you’ll burn out. DVR your favorite show and watch it between study sessions, skipping the commercials. Take your kids and dogs for a walk. Break out the crayons and playdoh, not just to distract your kids while you study but hop in there and color a page yourself or build a clay snowman. There is various research that indicates that both adults and children can only maintain sustained attention for 20 minutes at a time. Adults can revisit the same subject over and over again, but a short break every 20 minutes will help retention of material and maintenance of attention.
- If you’re confused about a topic or need more information, ask for help. Ask your instructor. Ask the other students in your course. Ask your local librarian for help finding other materials than your textbook on the subject. Remember, there are no stupid questions. If the answer, or even the process of asking the question, helps you think about and learn a concept more deeply, it is worth any hit to the ego in asking it.
- This may seem like a no brainer, but be sure to eat properly and get enough sleep. Skimping on either can leave you cognitively drained, making studying near impossible. Just like Popeye, spinach and other leafy greens are good for you too. Instead of a candy bar, reach for an apple. The spike in blood sugar with that candy bar, or energy drink or 18th latte, will leave a crash after that’s hard to recover from. So, be kind to your body.
What lessons have you learned that you would share with others?
Photo Credit: Notes by English 106 on Flickr
