Michelle Barbero, Staff Writer
Being in the midst of the holiday season and December 12 being the last official day of classes for this semester, SUNY Oneonta students are getting ready to take on final exams.
In this last week of classes, it is easy for one to become overwhelmed with thoughts of impending assignments in the coming weeks. But there are several studying strategies that can create a smoother transition into finals week.
The key to the most productive study session is to eliminate all distractions from your study area. Having any form of technology next to you while studying can cause a temptation to procrastinate. In addition, if you are not a student who can listen to background noise such as music while studying and you try to, you may just end up only taking in parts of the material or none at all. Milne Library, which is open seven days a week and 24 hours a day during finals week, has different sections to accommodate all types of learners.
The first and second floors are ideal for audible learners and study groups since they allow for some noise and talking. But, if a student is distracted by other people and background noise, they would benefit from studying on the third floor, aptly named “The Quiet Floor.”
If preparing for a class relies heavily on textbook readings, then try this tactic. Simply reading straight from the textbook may cause boredom which leads to skimming through the text rather than actually taking in all the important information. To avoid this, take notes after each chapter and reflect on what you just read. Hand written notes are sometimes easier to remember than typed ones. One could even rewrite their study sheet over a few times to really help the information stick.
Another valuable way to study is to create flash cards. They are a quick way to test what you already know and what you don’t know. Putting definitions or phrases from the textbook or class notes into your own words will make concepts easier to understand and remember for an exam. Flash cards are also convenient because you can hand them to someone else to have them test your knowledge.
Keep an eye out for stress relieving events around campus in the coming weeks. If you live on campus, your residence hall is probably having special events in addition to finals food to help you through your exams.
To find out the final exam schedule for fall 2016 please visit the SUNY Oneonta registar’s website: www.oneonta.edu/admin/registrar/pages/fs.asp
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