Finals Week Life Hacks
December 12, 2016 |
Finals week. A time when students consume copious amounts of caffeine, write 40 plus pages for five different classes, and sit amongst a mountain of paper wondering what went wrong. But at Xavier, we 're going to try to ease some of the pain. Here are 9 life hacks you can use to ace finals week.
1. Take advantage of office hours:
You have to go above and beyond to get that A. That's where office hours come in. It not only helps you understand material that may have been hard to get, but it let's your professor know that you're taking that extra mile to get a good grade!
2. Do not pull an all-nighter:
This, more or less, is aimed toward freshman students. All-nighters don't work; they don't. They raise your level of stress and it makes you feel like you're about to go crazy. Losing literal sleep over an assignment is not going to make the grade any better. Take breaks and give yourself a break.
3. Get with a study group:
What do you do when you're really stuck on something? Find a study group. Odds are someone in that group is stuck on the same thing you are. If you are able to get a good idea of what the exam might be like, you can go over potential answers and clarify any potential answers.
4. Don't try to find answers online.
If you're looking for answers, you most likely will not find them online. A lot of professors design their exams to prevent any answers that weren't given in that class. Just study the material, and you'll be fine. It's really no different than finding it on the Web.
5. Go to faculty study tables
Some professors will hold study tables for their class prior to the exam. GO TO THEM! Trust me, hearing the professor themselves explain what to do on certain problems is heavily beneficial. These study tables can, at times, be better than just regular study sessions.
6. Go to club study tables
Some clubs, like Black Student Association, will hold end of the semester study tables, in place of regular general body meetings. These can help because there's various different students studying various different things, so it's almost like many different study tables rolled up into one. It also doesn't hurt to look at some potentially new clubs to join in the future.
7. Look for any kind of extra credit
This may be a little difficult to find around finals week, but take advantage of any you can find. It may not be much, but every little bit added to your grade counts.
8. Do not drink too much caffeine
Do NOT, under ANY circumstances, drink too much coffee, too many energy drinks, or too much soda during exam week. When I tell you that this is the WORST possible thing you can do before an exam is drink too much coffee, it really is the WORST thing. You'll feel like you're crawling out of your skin.
9. Go to Midnight Breakfast
This event is vital for finals week. Free food and more importantly free coffee. It feels good to be a little social while you fuel up for a night of studying. Study with friends while you enjoy pancakes, eggs, and biscuits.
Hopefully these tips will make your finals week successful!