At the end of the school year, millions of students from different grade levels are preparing for finals. Many of us know the stress and anxiety that comes with finals week, and for those in college for the first time will also feel this ridiculous amount of weight on their shoulders. How will we deal with stress and anxiety? The different methods of studying play a big role in the success of finals week. The amount of time spent studying plays a big factor in the outcome and how you prepare for the week.
How you study is the biggest factor determining the final assignment’s outcome. It is all beneficial if it’s studying color-coordinated notes, listening to music while you revise materials, using flashcards, or filling out study guides. Not cramming everything at once is extremely important. “Students may perform well on a test for which they’ve crammed, but that doesn’t mean they’ve truly learned the material, ” from the American Psychological Association says an article Instead of cramming, studies have shown that studying with the goal of long-term retention is best for learning overall” Lparsons. (2023, November 8). Studying with a phone nearby can create the urge to check it and distract you; studies show that a turned-off phone nearby is adequate to stop most people from studying efficiently. I would recommend studying off a study guide, with many highlighted key terms, and having soothing music in the background, unless you prefer silence. Dereck Sprinter, a student here at MSJC, said, “I try to make my own study guide. For example, if it’s based on a textbook, I’ll try to write some stuff off the textbook, and get my studying based on that”.
Final season can be extremely an anxiety and stress-inducing time, how can we deal with it? One thing we can do is make a calendar based on things you plan to study for the week. For example, you can have one day dedicated to math, one to English, one to history, and so on. This calendar should also include the length of time that you plan on studying. Dereck Sprinter, on how long he studies for, said: “It depends on the class, because if I already have a general idea of what the topic is at hand and things like that, I don’t take as much time to study, but if I know the other class requires more work to do, I’m going to put more focus on that.” Being organized can ease stress and anxiety to great amounts. In terms of actual stress and anxiety suppressors, exercising is one of the best things you can do.
Procrastination is one of our greatest enemies as students. Procrastination happens to even the best students throughout the year because we get overloaded with work, quizzes, and projects. During finals week, we should not procrastinate about studying at all. Finals are too important for us to say, “You know what? I’ll study later,” Eventually, later becomes never, and your finals will reflect the little time spent studying. I want to wish everyone good luck with finals, and I’lli’ll leave you guys with one of my favorite quotes: “Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.” —Malcolm X.
