Five Tips for Surviving Finals

My final "finals" are right around the corner, I can hardly believe it!  I cannot believe I have been in school since I was 3-years-old and my last full week of school is already here.  In some ways I am ready to be finished with studying, writing papers and taking exams, but in other ways I am a little sad that this chapter in my life is coming to an end.  Since the semester ends in a few weeks, I thought I would share some tips that have helped me survive finals over the past four years.

1. Organize all notes | I cannot do anything unless I am organized.  Before every exam, I make sure all my notes are printed and organized.  Without being organized, I would not be able to focus on studying and reading.

2. Drink a Peppermint Mocha | When you're in the middle of a long study sesh, the best way to list your spirits is to drink a warm and tasty Starbucks coffee.  Not only will it help perk you up so you can keep studying, but a little bit of chocolate and peppermint will put you in the holiday spirit even when you're studying.

3. Find a cozy spot to study | I cannot study unless I find the perfect spot to camp out.  Sometimes it's the library, sometimes it's my kitchen table or desk in my room.  It all depends what mood I'm in and how much work I have to do...  I tend to get more work done at the library or Starbucks, but after hours sitting at the same table, I need a change of scenery so I'll go home and study at my kitchen table or with a warm blanket on my couch.

4. Make notecards | For certain classes notecards are the best way to study.  When your exam is fill-in-the-blank, multiple choice or true false a great way to help yourself remember key facts, terms and dates is to make notecards.

5. Make a timeline | At the end of the semester when all of my exams, projects and papers start piling up, I make a calendar of all the notes, chapters, papers, etc. that I need to study/review by a certain time.  I split up all of my work by day and do my best to complete each task by the designated time.  It is so helpful to have a timeline to keep track of what work needs to be completed by when.

*Check out my study tips*

How do you survive finals?

xoxo

Back to School : Study Tips

Since school is starting in a week I figured I would share some study tips to help everyone prepare for the upcoming semester.  I am going to be a Senior this year...can you believe it? I cannot!  I don't want to graduate...well part of me does, but another part of me really enjoys school.  I know...I'm such a nerd.  Now that I've been in college for a few years I feel like I've finally got this whole study thing down pretty well.  So, here are a few tips I wish I had realized my first semester of college.

1.  Spend the first few weeks of school finding the best places to study on campus.  If you live in a dorm it may not be the best place to study, there are so many distractions and you defiantly want to be in a distraction-free environment when studying.  I personally really enjoy going to the library.  UF has many libraries on campus, but I personally prefer the main library (Library West).  Find your favorite place at your university.  It may be a library, academic building or coffee shop.  You may want to find more than one go-to study place (in-case your usual spot is full).  I also enjoy studying in my college's library between classes or if I don't feel like walking across campus to my typical spot.  Starbucks (on and off campus) is also a great place to study, they have free wi-fi and lots and lots of coffee (which is very important).

2.  Find the best way to organize all your class materials.  I use three-ring binders and 5-star notebooks.  I choose my supplies based on the style of the class, in some classes I type my notes on my Macbook or iPad (I am a very slow writer and a little OCD about my notes), but in other classes I write notes in a 5-star notebook.  I tend to write notes only if my professor does not allow laptops or if it's a math related class (math classes are impossible to take notes for on my laptop).

3.  Buy a planner.  My Lilly Pulitzer large agenda is the best purchase I have ever made.  I use it to keep both my personal life and school work organized.  I write my homework and test/quiz dates on it.  I hardly ever leave my apartment without it, I check it all the time.

4.  Go to class and take notes!  The most important thing you can do is to go to class everyday.  If you don't go to class you won't know what you're missing.  Many professors take attendance and if you have perfect attendance it may help you in the long-run...if you are borderline between two grades your professor may be more likely to bump your grade up if you have shown them that you attend class and care about your grade.  It's also very important to take notes and pay attention so that nothing on the exam hits you by surprise (most professors are not interested in tricking you, but rather testing your knowledge of the material and seeing if you payed attention).

Well that was just a little tidbit to help everyone start the year out well.  

Good luck with the new semester! 

xoxo