When I first started this blog, I was told to write 1-2 times a week, and I thought there would be nothing to it. Then I remembered how I work two part-time jobs, take senior level college classes, and still halfway participate in on-campus activities. I quickly learned those 1-2 posts a week would be close to impossible, but fact: I think about the blog and future blog posts nearly every day. It excites me so much knowing that summer is near, and that means more time for brainstorming, writing, and creating some awesome content.
But first, FINALS.
I am currently in my last year of college, and you would think I finally mastered the art of studying and preparing for finals, but sometimes I feel just as clueless as freshmen. I think the realization that college students have to come to is no matter how much you think you know how to study, classes are getting harder each semester and study techniques are different for nearly every class.
Me being the great advice giver I am (that was sarcasm if anyone didn’t catch it), I thought I’d share some helpful tips to conquer finals with confidence. ☺
1.Create a Schedule
Schedules are so important in any daily activity. My TJ Maxx planner is my best friend because with my “busy” 21-year-old life, it is important to keep track of assignments, appointments, events, etc. Something I thought about trying for finals this year is making a schedule for these next two weeks with some type of study preparation each day. This will help to spread out information instead of cramming the weekend before (something we all love to do). So take some time these next few days, and write in your planner something to study each day, whether it be just a chapter’s worth of vocab or working a few math problems.
2. The Week Before Finals = Your BFF
The week before finals might as well be your new best friend. There’s a good chance that some classes will be canceled during this week because of graduating seniors. So with less class means more time to study and more time to use my scheduling tip and plan out your study days. 😉 Waiting til the last minute is never a good idea especially when you are in upper level classes. Use the “dead week” as some people call it to get your sh*t together and take on those finals with confidence.
3. Utilize Your Resources
Next up: Utilizing your resources. This statement could mean a number of things, but most importantly utilize the resources from your university. If you don’t understand something, go see a free tutor. At ULM, all on campus tutors are free, and I am sure other universities have the same principles. I will never forget sophomore year when I took the dreadful class of statistics. It wasn’t the easiest subject in the world, and I didn’t do too hot on the first test. After that, I planned out time to see a tutor, and guess who aced every single test to follow? This girl. Other resources that are completely free can include your university’s (sometimes dreadful) library, study buddies, and of course, professors’ emails and office hours. All of these are helpful but only if you are looking to succeed in college.
4. Anti-Stress
My fourth and final tip is – don’t stress! Okay, we all know that’s impossible, but lets try to minimize the stressfulness of finals as much as possible. I know the thought of multiple cumulative exams all within the same week can seem terrifying, but follow my (hopefully) helpful tips and stay confident, and you are sure to succeed!
Good luck to all my college loves with upcoming finals.
We got this!
– R
Rachel Dolecheck 