Finish the semester strong!

Great job with all of your hard work so far this semester!  Now, at the end of the semester, it’s time to access the resources you need to finish strong. Use the last few weeks of classes to catch up and keep up with your course work. Because you won’t have classes during finalstime management will be very important, creating structure for yourself and balancing time for sleep, rest, and good nutrition. Finals can be stressful and you’ll need to take care of yourself – this is a major part of preparing for any exam. Find tips and strategies for managing stress here.

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.

– Plan out the last few weeks of the semester using a “home-stretch calendar.” Calendars are an important tool for getting yourself organized and identifying and keeping on top of your crunch times. Block out time, especially during finals, to do things like eat, sleep, and exercise.

You may want to check out our Guidelines for Creating a Study Schedule to make your study more efficient and the Five Day Study Plan to decide when and how to study for exams.

– Having a hard time getting started? 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.   

– 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.

– 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. Study a little bit of each subject every day.
  2. Start early.
  3. Eat and sleep, an exam is not worth your health.
  4. Take breaks to exercise, it will help you focus better while you are studying.
  5. Work with friends for company and motivation. Try to teach the material make sure you understand it.
  6. Review past prelims, especially the mistakes you made.
  7. Do difficult practice problems and work through them to get an answer before asking for help.
  8. Take practice exams under testing conditions— same time of day, format, amount of time, even the same room or building if possible.
  9. Have one fun thing planned each day. (Tutor suggestions: climbing wall, Trader Joe’s run, baking, Dairy Bar, pet a dog, quick walk in the Botanic Gardens.)
  10. Unexpected issues may arise, that’s ok, it’s just part of adulting.
  11. (Bonus!) To maintain a positive attitude it helps to keep the big picture in mind —what’s your “why?” Staying in touch with big-picture goals helps develop resilience.

 

dog looking at book

Keep up the hard work–you got this!

Homestretch Calendar

Create a “Homestretch Calendar”

Plan the last few weeks of the semester with a home-stretch calendar! Calendars are an important tool for getting yourself organized, identifying crunch times, and staying on-track.

Find the homestretch calendar along with the other LSC calendars at this link.

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 link you can also find a full-semester calendar and weekly planner. Use the semester calendar to list your exams, major assignments, projects, other important due dates, and your major non-academic plans (trips, events, etc).  This helps you see the big picture of the semester and learn in advance what your crunch times will be. Many students also find the weekly planner helpful for mapping out their schedule and finding hidden time.
  • Check out the LSC pages on “Finding Your Academic Groove,” which includes resources on time management.

 

What should you do when you get your prelims back?

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

dog looking at bookWhen 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

Study Plan Stages - Develop a Plan, then 1 implement, 2 reflect, 3 revise, then implement againEven 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!