Kaleb Schwaiger
Staff Writer
The fall 2014 semester is coming to an end, and finals are already around the corner. With naught but a week until the big test days, students everywhere are in full on study mode. A few students were able to be pulled away from their studies to provide their hints and tips for studying.
Since finals encompass the entire semester, it’s a bit too late to start learning from scratch. So where does one begin? Some students suggested reading the end of chapter reviews, and go from there. Others attempt a full re reading of the book, from day one to the penultimate day.
Nursing Major Abigail Langley is a fan of going back over the chapter reviews. She explained that the reviews should cover all the key points of the lesson, and provide a good idea of what the student remembers.
“I like to go back over the reviews, and I usually find things I’d forgotten all about. This is how I narrow down what I need to go back over and toss out what is still fresh in my mind,” Langley said.
After narrowing down the topics needed, Langley likes to use flash cards to study. Once she gets the same card right three times in a row, she puts it into the known pile. When she gets all the cards into that pile, she goes back over them, repeating the process.
“Once I get the cards right six times total I feel confident I can remember the material and move on. I’ll go back over them a day or two before the final just to make sure, but I rarely have a problem with them at that point,” Langley added.
Other students like to spend the weeks before finals reading the entire book, reabsorbing as much material as they can. This method, combined with key points and flash cards, makes for an extremely thorough method of studying.
Pre Pharm student Bhargov Patel fully endorses this method. He also likes to get into a group and go over the material with classmates.
“When you know the material and can successfully answer quiz questions from classmates, it makes you feel really confident about the final,” Patel said. “Having friends to study with speeds the process along as well, and often times turns a dull topic into something entertaining and enriching.”
Linguistics Major, Kofi Bazzel, also finds the group study method to be of great benefit.
“When you can get a good group of people together studying, you can accomplish so much more than you could on your own,” Bazzel said. “Often times many people in the group have the same questions, and with multiple minds working on a task, the information is found quicker and more efficiently. This leads to less time searching for answers and more time solidifying what we have already learned.”
Of course, to effectively study, one must start studying.
“While it’s better now than later, it’s better later than never,” Bazzell addded.
While teachers are certainly busy this time of the semester, their offices are still open and they are still available to help students. If a student goes to a professor with their questions, the professor can accurately guide them on what they do and do not need to know for the upcoming final.
All of the students interviewed could recall a time when an instructor told them they were studying the wrong thing, and saved them lots of headaches and wasted time.
As a last bastion of hope, the Center for Academic Success in room D120, is sure to have students studying similar topics and willing to work together to tackle these final study periods. Being in a room with like-minded individuals can be a big boost to motivation, and help students get over these final few days until the exam day.
