Stress for FINALS!

With finals coming up I have never been more stressed. This time of year always makes me want to cry because to me, it's crunch time to finish any last assignments and any extra credit that I can do that will help boost my grades. Also, lets not forget the last of our exams that can sometimes determine what our outcome will be in the class. The strategies I used that helped me prepare for each final and essay were (S)-T-A-R-T, Chunking the Time and Fritter Finder. I used all three of these studying strategies because they all worked well together and helped me focus and be in control with my stress.

I first used fritter finder so I would be able to see what days I should study for what and what times of the day I had "down time" so I could relax from all the studying I was doing. This strategy was extremely useful for me because I was able to divide out my time from practice and school and what days I need to study for what final.

After I did the fritter finder, I then used the two strategies (S)-T-A-R-T and Chunking the Time because for most of my classes I have to write essays as my "finals" and do a lot of reading so being able to chunk out my reading and then used (S)-T-A-R-T was extremely efficient in studying and getting my work down. For my classes, I only have two finals and then two final essays so these two strategies worked for whatever homework assignment I was doing.

For EAR101 I used the strategy (S)-T-A-R-T because I first skimmed all the chapters that were going to be used on the exam then wrote down all the important terms I knew that I needed to memorize. Next I reviewed each of my lecture notes that I had taken in the class and saw what I had highlighted because knew they were important for the final. Lastly, I read each of the chapters again and created questions that I thought would help me prepare.

20 minute test Preparation & 1 plus 3 notes

The two strategies that I used most often was the 20 minute test prep and the 1 plus 3 notes. Particularly in my BIO 121 class and my PHI 107 class it was very important to take time after class to reorganize my notes. Many times immediately after classes I took anywhere from 20-40 minutes to make a 1 plus 3 notes. I think the 20 minute test prep is most effective right after class because the lecture is still fresh at the time, as opposed to 8 hours later. My notes are organized by class in my computer, and because of the 20 minute test prep I was able to have great notes for many of the lectures.

What I liked about the 1 plus 3 notes was that I was able to reformat it very easily, thus it allowed me to use it for any purpose and for every class. It contains what I need such as identifying key terms, the details, and anticipated test questions. Also, since the 1 plus 3 notes limits me to one page of notes I found myself summarizing large information into 1-2 sentences. This was a great way of memorizing information, and summarizing it. The 1 plus 3 notes was the most helpful note taking strategy for me because it was both informative, yet very visual.

Time Management

The two strategies of my choice that helped me the most were probably using a Fritter Finder and D's Do and Due. I used both these strategies in all of my courses. I liked the two strategies because they help me stay on task and organized. If I didn't use d's do and due or use a fritter finder then I wouldn't have any real organization when it came to doing my work. I like the fritter finder because it showed me my schedule and the times I was going to be busy and free. Wherever there was a free space on my schedule I would mark it down so I new i should get some work done. I liked using the fritter finder because whenever I did have free time during the day I could get large portions of my homework done. This made it less stressful for me at night because I wasn't up real late. My schedule was the same every day so It eventually turned into habit following the fritter finder. I knew following it would help me out a lot with time management. The second strategy was D's Do and Due. This is the strategy that really keeps me on task the most. I was pretty much forced to use this strategy because of lacrosse but it was one that I really liked. It helped me out because I would write out when exactly I was going to do my homework for each class. I would map out a schedule of the specific assignments I had to get done for each day. The fritter finder fit in with d's do and due because whenever I saw I had free time on my fritter finder I would go to my d's do and due schedule and see what homework I had to do. This helped me stay real organized.

time wasters.....

FINALS!!! FINALS!!! FINALS!!! Yikes.

So Finals are coming up and that means that we are all more likely to slack off more. This week I decided to bring back TIME WASTERS!!! I know I tend to waste time when Finals start to come, because I feel like I have been doing so good the whole semester so I can slack of a couple times. In reality we can't afford to take a break, because the end of the semester is the most important. That is why writing down all of your time wasters is very helpful, so that you won't want to do them. The other strategy that I used was D's Do's and Due's. I chose this strategy so that during Finals week I will be able to plan out all the things that I need to get done. This strategy was very helpful for me, it showed me when I had things do and when I needed to get things done. Using these strategies helped me feel less stressed out about my Finals, because by using these strategies I got everything done either on time or earlier so that I wouldn't have to worry about them. Now when my Finals come I will be well prepared and won't have to worry about a thing.

Time Wasters:

D's Do's & Due's

Beginning of the week!!!

End of the week!!!