It’s hard to believe the semester is almost over! Great job with all of your hard work so far this semester! It’s important to take a step back and acknowledge the work you’ve done and the successes (big and small) that you’ve had this fall. The LSC is here to help you think through the steps that will work for you. Read on for resources, videos, and the top 10 tips from study skills experts and LSC tutors to help you finish the semester strong. Or check out some of our end-of-semster workshops and drop-in sessions here.

Manage your time (and stress!)

Use the last few weeks of classes to catch up and keep up with your course work. Because you won’t have classes during finals, time management will be very important, including creating structure for yourself and balancing time for sleep, rest, and good nutrition. Finals can be stressful and you’ll need to be kind to yourself and take care of yourself – this is a major part of preparing for any exam. Find tips and strategies for managing stress here.

Create a “Homestretch Calendar” and develop a study plan

Plan out the last few weeks of the semester with a “home-stretch calendar” (Word or PDF). Calendars are an important tool for getting yourself organized and identifying and keeping on top of your crunch times. They can also keep you focused. What should you put on your “home stretch” calendar?

• important events
• prelim & final exams dates
• due dates of papers & other assignments
• meetings and other events

Many students also use a weekly planner to map out their schedule and find hidden time (and block time for things like eating, hanging out with friends, and working on specific courses/projects). For a Word version of the weekly calendar, click here. What should you put on your weekly planner?

• Things you need to do to survive! Eat, sleep, and exercise, etc.
• Things you like to do to take a break! Walk, hang out with friends, talk to family, etc.
• Study time for your various finals. You may want to check out the Guidelines for Creating a Study Schedule to make your study more efficient and the Five Day Study Plan to plan when and how to study for exams.
• Work time for your end-of-semester work (all those papers and projects you have to work on!).

You need to actually block time in your day for the above activities and stick to it — be focused (ie no phone!). Sometimes it helps to create a list and prioritize things you need to do — this is really important when you don’t have enough time and something needs to move off the calendar (sleep is not something that should move off your calendar!).

Cornell students can self-enroll in our Canvas module on Studying for and Taking Exams for a complete step-by-step guide on what works, what doesn’t, how to develop a study plan, and strategies for taking exams. Click on the link here to self-enroll in the module.  Learn about effective study strategies, concept mapping, and how to tackle different types of exam questions.

Don’t procrastinate

Having a hard time getting started? That’s ok, procrastination happens to all of us, and when you understand it more you’ll have the tools to overcome it.  Find out out how to break the cycle here.

Check out our videos on time management, the perils of multitasking, learning from online lectures and discussions, and being flexible.  Find our YouTube channel here.

 

Advice Corner:
Tips from the LSC tutors on accessing stamina and finishing strong!

1. Develop a study plan that takes into account all of your classes’ needs. Work a little bit on multiple classes each day, staring before your exams. Going back and forth between more than one class can help avoid burnout.

2. Pace yourself. Start early and space out your studying over time. Plan for breaks and give yourself time to deal with unexpected issues that may arise.

3. What time of day is best for you for learning? Is it the same for all of your classes? What about the setting (library, café, with or without people)? Learn what works for you, and plan accordingly.

4. Set up a basic time structure for the exam period – make a simple plan – e.g., sleep, meals, exercise – so it feels more like a workday.

5. Work with friends for company and motivation during study period and finals.

6. Sleep!

7. Prioritize your health. Getting fresh air, eating healthy, getting sleep helps you study better and learn more effectively. Block this time into your study plan. Quantity in terms of “hours studying” is not a good metric, because the quality of your learning goes down if you’re not well-rested.

8. Self-test, self-test, self-test! Do practice problems and get answers on your own. Write about topics and concepts and draw pictures and diagrams from memory. Try to be active – instead of just reading things over and over.

9. Take practice tests at the same time you’re going to be taking the test.

10. Have one fun thing planned each day. (Tutor suggestions: climbing wall, Trader Joe’s run, baking, Dairy Bar, pet a dog, walk in Botanic Gardens.)

Bonus suggestion from the LSC tutors, especially if you’re feeling a little burned out: Keep the big picture in mind —what’s your “why?” Staying in touch with big-picture goals helps develop resilience.

 

 

Keep up the hard work–you got this!

Create a “Homestretch Calendar”

Plan out the last few weeks of the semester with a “home-stretch calendar” (Word or PDF)! Calendars are an important tool for getting yourself organized and identifying and keeping on top of your crunch times. They can also keep you focused. What should you put on your “home stretch” calendar?

• important events
• prelim & final exams dates
• due dates of papers & other assignments
• meetings and other events

Develop a Plan to Finish Strong

It’s hard to believe the semester is almost over! Great job with all of your hard work so far this semester! It’s important to take a step back and acknowledge the work you’ve done and the successes (big and small) that you’ve had this fall. The LSC is here to help you think through the steps that will work for you. Explore resources and tips from study skills experts and LSC tutors to help you finish the semester strong.

Looking for Other Calendars?

 

At this point in the semester you’ve probably gotten at least one prelim or graded essay back, and you might be wondering, “what should I do with it?”. Whether the score you earned makes you want to jump for joy or curl up into a ball, learning from your graded work is an incredibly valuable opportunity.

Do not, repeat DO NOT, immediately toss or file away the test or essay you just got back! Instead, think about two things: the content (what did you get correct and what did you lose points on?) and your study plan (what strategies did you use and when did you study?).

Reflect on content

When you think about content, ask yourself honestly: “Why did I lose points here?” and “What is the correct answer, and why?”. Sometimes you misread a questions, other times you have no idea why you lost points, occasionally you might have known the answer, but it didn’t make it to the paper, or perhaps you think there was a grading error. So what do you do? Check out the LSC page on what to do when you get your graded prelims back for some ideas!

Reflect on your study plan

Even before you get your prelim back, take a few minutes to think about what you did, or didn’t do, to prepare. Did you develop a study plan? How happy were you with your plan? What study strategies did you use? What worked? What didn’t? What will you do differently to prepare for the next prelim? Sometimes tweaking what you do to prepare for a prelim, including study strategies and planning in study time earlier, can help your prelim performance.

Successful students ask for help when they need it!

Remember, whether you are preparing for your next prelim or working through what you didn’t get correct on a past prelim, successful students reach out for help when they need it!

At the LSC, you will often hear us say, “Successful students ask for help when they need it!”. This advice actually came from our student tutors. When we asked them what they would want to share with new students, this was the most common response.

So, you might be wondering, where DO I get help if when I need it?

Where can you get help?

Visit office hours with your course instructor or TA (Teaching Assistant). Office hours are times for you to come and ask questions – they are usually held at a variety of times. Instructors and TAs are there to help you learn, so visit office hours and take a look at how you can best use them! (New to Cornell? – check out our Quizlet of Cornell lingo!)

Look for LSC tutoring and LSC Supplemental Courses, which are available as a supplement to some challenging introductory courses and give additional problem-solving practice. Check out the LSC webpage for what courses are supported. All courses and tutoring offered by the LSC are available at NO COST to you!

Find a study group or study partner. Not only are study partners a great way to network and connect with your peers, studying together is a powerful tool for learning:

• Other students may have questions you didn’t even know you have.
• Setting a regular time and place to study can help with procrastination.
• Explaining material to other students is a well-established method of solidifying your own knowledge.
• Working with classmates from a variety of background helps you gain insights and experience perspectives you might not otherwise have access to.

Finding people to study with can be challenging (even when you are taking in-person classes), and Cornell’s Learning Strategies Center (LSC) helps match you with study partners. To find out more about study groups and partners and to sign-up for study partners for class you are in, visit the LSC’s Studying Together webpage.

Talk to your Advisor. Every college is different in terms of how advising works, but they all have staff who are there to help! College advisors provide information on where to get support while you are here and they can advise you on the courses you need to/should take.

Look at study tips and strategies offered by the LSC. Help with study strategies and time management can be just as important as help with content. Sometimes tweaking your current study strategies or trying new ones can help you save time and learn material better. Check out the LSC resources on how to study, managing time and stress, and learning online.

There are many place to get help! Your friends, residential staff, and family are great resources. Check out non-LSC academic resources and other campus support offices.

As you already know, it won’t always be easy, but you can do it!

Cornell WILL push you and it WILL be hard sometimes (that’s how we get better and learn). Remember, you have the tools and the resources – maybe you need to tweak them, maybe you need to try something new, but you have what you need, and you have a community of support (your peers, your instructors, your advisors, residential staff, and many others) here to help.

It’s easier to keep up than catch up, so make sure you get help when you need it. Have a great semester!