2008 Woodie Awards
Taking walks, staying organized among ways to reduce finals stress
By Melissa McFarland
Rocket Contributor
Issue date: 12/7/07 Section: Focus
Since a lot of freshmen don't know how to study efficiently, many spend way too much time studying in each subject.
"I think my freshman year I tried to study everything under the sun for the test," Anthony said. "But now for studying, I kind of know what I should study and what I don't need to study."
Pitard believes that staying organized is also a great help when preparing for exams.
He said that when he went to college, he kept a big binder for each class, kept every paper that was handed back to him and made sure the binder was in order. Before each test, he would clump all of his papers into categories and proceed to make up questions that he believed the teacher would ask.
"Writing it out really helped me see where my gaps were," Pitard said.
Some students have also devised different study techniques they believe help them on exams.
"I always review the material and rewrite it into note cards," Tandarich said. "Note cards always help me, and they're beneficial because you can rehearse them over and over and you have to take the time to write them out," Tandarich said.
Another important and simple way to help prepare for finals is to pay attention in class.
"I try to make sure I really focus in class when we go over finals material, and try to study more bit by bit than in one huge chunk," Anthony said.
In addition to textbooks, many resources are available to students at Bailey Library.
The library is regularly open until 2 a.m. Sunday through Thursday during the semester, but during finals week, it's open continuously from Monday at 7:45 a.m. until Friday at 5:00 p.m. Philip Tramdack, the director of Bailey Library, said the library will host a study break on Dec. 11 in the second-floor lobby. Pizza, snacks and beverages will be provided for students trying to pack as much knowledge as possible between their ears.
Though the last week of the semester can be stressful and tiring, if students plan out their time and take care of their bodies, they should be able to relieve some stress.
"Relax. College is an adventure," Tandarich said. "Yes, it can be hard at times, but these are the best years of our lives. Always study hard, but reward yourself as well. Just balance out the work and play, and you'll never get stressed out, especially around finals time."
"I think my freshman year I tried to study everything under the sun for the test," Anthony said. "But now for studying, I kind of know what I should study and what I don't need to study."
Pitard believes that staying organized is also a great help when preparing for exams.
He said that when he went to college, he kept a big binder for each class, kept every paper that was handed back to him and made sure the binder was in order. Before each test, he would clump all of his papers into categories and proceed to make up questions that he believed the teacher would ask.
"Writing it out really helped me see where my gaps were," Pitard said.
Some students have also devised different study techniques they believe help them on exams.
"I always review the material and rewrite it into note cards," Tandarich said. "Note cards always help me, and they're beneficial because you can rehearse them over and over and you have to take the time to write them out," Tandarich said.
Another important and simple way to help prepare for finals is to pay attention in class.
"I try to make sure I really focus in class when we go over finals material, and try to study more bit by bit than in one huge chunk," Anthony said.
In addition to textbooks, many resources are available to students at Bailey Library.
The library is regularly open until 2 a.m. Sunday through Thursday during the semester, but during finals week, it's open continuously from Monday at 7:45 a.m. until Friday at 5:00 p.m. Philip Tramdack, the director of Bailey Library, said the library will host a study break on Dec. 11 in the second-floor lobby. Pizza, snacks and beverages will be provided for students trying to pack as much knowledge as possible between their ears.
Though the last week of the semester can be stressful and tiring, if students plan out their time and take care of their bodies, they should be able to relieve some stress.
"Relax. College is an adventure," Tandarich said. "Yes, it can be hard at times, but these are the best years of our lives. Always study hard, but reward yourself as well. Just balance out the work and play, and you'll never get stressed out, especially around finals time."
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