For those of you counting down the days to long lectures to come to a halt for the break, the good news is that the end of the first semester is just around the corner.
On another note, you’ve probably been quick to realize that this offers very little relief. The sad and agonizing reality for the majority of us is that the worst is yet to come.
York’s exam period begins Wednesday, December 9th and goes through to the 23rd. You can literally see the panic and stress on all the sleep-deprived faces of students on campus.
Perhaps you’re part of the small percentage of students who aren’t burdened with any exams, but rather a slew of assignments. After all, misery loves the company of end-of-the-term projects, essays, presentations, and assignments.
“I don’t have any final exams this semester but I do have a lot of projects that I think are even more time consuming,” says Sara Qarizada a second-year graphic design student. “Projects take so much of your time and it’s a whole drawn-out process.”
Whatever your situation may be, there are some things you can do in the upcoming weeks that will make your life a little easier. So listen up. As university students we are no strangers to all nighters. In fact, they happen far more often than anyone would like to admit.
“All nighters might be necessary once in awhile if you are in a tight spot, but if you are doing it regularly you are probably not giving yourself enough self-care and taking on too much responsibility,” saysNizamodeen Abrahim a peer mentor for the Lassonde School of Engineering.
The best thing you could probably do for yourself and for your grade is to set up a schedule.
“It’s important to make a study schedule you feel you can stick to and make sure not to break it,” says Abrahim.
As the old saying goes, motivation is what gets you started but habit is what keeps you going. This applies very well to developing good study habits, he adds.
Reward yourself and take breaks. Not hour-long breaks, but 15 minutes usually does the trick. That way you are able to process what you just learned instead of trying to stuff your brain full of things you won’t retain by the next day.
It’s important to ensure that you have enough study time, enough leeway time, and enough self-care time, says Abrahim.
When it comes to taking the actual exam, too many people make the mistake of underestimating multiple choice exams or tests. The problem is that most of us will learn to recognize instead of actually understanding the information.
This tends to lead us into the mindset of thinking that everything is a trick question and any of these options could be possible. This also means that we take the shortcut and try to recognize the answer by keywords we think will stand out during the exam.
However, when it comes to an application type of question where you’re required to apply whatever concept or idea you learned, you’ll have no idea where to go next. Rather than memorizing, it’s important to actually try to understand the material.
“For the content that you feel you care about, you should try to understand it. Your grades will reflect that and you’ll feel better earning those grades as well,” says Abrahim.
Whether that means looking up an explanation or a YouTube animation to break down the topic for you, make sure you have a good grasp and understanding of the topic at hand.
When someone asks you what you’ve been learning, don’t brush it off like it’s a stupid question. Explaining a concept or theory to someone who doesn’t know will help you understand the material better and help you focus on the key points you need to hit.
Figure out the way you study best: cue cards, notes, reading, mnemonic devices, repetition, speaking out loud, or have sticky notes everywhere.
As for studying in groups, it does not always guarantee that studying will be accomplished, however groups are good for bouncing ideas off each other and testing one another.
“Group versus self-studying can be class dependant. If the material is dry, group studying is probably better but you need someone there to keep the group on track,” says Abrahim.
However, if the material is interesting it might be better to self-study regularly and then only group study for the major tests, he says.
There you have it, what you need to know to survive the next few weeks and come out on top. Good luck, scholars.
Jodie Vanderslot
Staff Writer
