Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Its Time: Welcome to Finals

Good morning my lovelies. I hope all of your Turkey Days were all good and well. But now that that break is over, finals week is looming over. So, I thought I would take the time to build on my last two posts and explain a little bit of how I get organized and study for finals. But first, I have to share this because this scene is what I thought of when I realized what was to come. If any of you don't watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer, then you won't really understand it, but it will still be funny. For those of you who do watch Buffy, you're welcome. 


So, first things first. Know where you can study. It helps me to not study in the same exact spot every time. But, make sure you study spot it well-lit and quiet. We talked about contextual learning in psychology yesterday; and since you will most likely take your exam in a quiet, well-lit room, then studying in such an environment will help you recall the information better. I like to study either in my room (if it isn't messy), in the study room located in the basement of my hall, in the library, or in a quiet campus restaurant. Find the place that works best for you, then find at least one more. Having multiple places to study really helps keep you from feeling like you're stuck doing the same thing every day. And sometimes you just want to get away from your roommate's loud typing habits. (Sorry Lex) 

Secondly, make some sort of schedule. On a normal week, I will make a rough schedule of how I'll spend my free time, and as long as I'm not behind, I usually deviate from it a little bit. But during this next week and a half, I will make a strict schedule and stick to it pretty well. But please be smart enough to schedule yourself some down-time. Schedule dinner with a friend or an hour to watch Netflix. But, make some sort of schedule, even if it is a rough outline of when and what you study.

Next, and this one is kind of 2-in-1, but start studying at least a week early (if not two weeks). If you do this, you will be able to study and still get some semblence of sleep. I cannot say this enough, SLEEP IS IMPORTANT. Yeah, I get it. We are college students, sleep isn't really a priority and Red Bull is our best friend. But really guys, study early and get some sleep. If I could tell you only one thing it would be this.

Other than that, just use your study skills. In my two pervious posts, About Time for a Study Tips Post and How I Study, I talk about general study tips and how I go about my studying. If you need some help or just a nudge in the right direction, take a look at these and hopefully they'll help. 

So, since I will be entering my finals hibernation period today, you guys probably won't hear from me until its over. So, until next time...

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