End-of-semester Strategies

Everyone is returning from Thanksgiving break and headed into the end of classes and final exams. Here are some ideas to end the semester well:

• Take a minute to look at the final two or three weeks in general.   What assignments/projects do you have to complete?  What social events to you want to do?  When do you have to be out of the dorm?  Do you have any gifts to buy?
• Look at your final exam schedule.  When are they scheduled?  If there are several in one day, is there a procedure in place to spread them out?  If one professor has several sections of the same class, will he or she allow you to take the exam earlier?
• Is each final cumulative or the does it cover just the last unit in the class?
• Particularly for an exam that is cumulative, begin now to review all of the information.   Look for the large units within the material and start to focus on each of those.
• Look at your grade in each class.  If you are close to a higher grade or near the bottom of a grade, plan to spend extra effort in that class.
• Use the week or two before finals to be sure you have all of the information you need in each class.  If you missed a lecture, get the notes from a fellow student.  (Someone you think will be earning an ‘A’ in the class!)   Take the time to recopy the notes into your own style.

The final blog for this semester will deal specifically with finals week.  Keep studying – a longer break is in sight!

*****
First Semester Success, 2nd Edition, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer, is available as an eBook and hard copy from amazon.com and a hard copy from wordassociation.com.  Click on the upper right link.

College 101: Blog 8 of 8 – Staying Motivated

Even though the semester goes by quickly, it is hard to maintain a high level of motivation the entire time.  As a professor, I always hit a slump somewhere toward the middle, but the next day I had my excitement for teaching back.  Here are some ways to help yourself stay motivated:

• Set a grade point goal for the semester and post it where you can see it every morning, maybe on your mirror when you brush your teeth.
• Envision yourself working in your future career.
• If you do not have a specific career goal yet, envision yourself graduating and think how happy and proud you will be.
• For a class that you are not interested in:
• Set a timer for 20 minutes and study for that period of time.  Take a short break and resume f or another 20 if you are not done.
• Be careful how you talk to yourself about the class.  Stop complaining and see the class as a stepping stone in your academic career.
• Think about how the class is adding to your general knowledge as a well-rounded person.
• Act as if you are interested.  (I know this sounds odd, but my students tell me it works!!)
• Think about the benefit of making short-term sacrifices for long-term gain.  You can say no to a social event and go to the Library to study!
• Plan a fun event sometime in the future as a reward.  It is easier to work hard if there is something near term to look forward to.
• Post motivational quotes where you will see them.  My favorite that I have in my office is, “We are what we repeatedly do.  Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.”  (Aristotle)
• Regularly take a few minutes to congratulate yourself on what you have accomplished.  Nothing makes working hard easier than seeing the positive results!

This concludes the eight-part series of college basics.   We’ll review studying and testing for the remainder of this fall semester – just in time for finals!

*****
First Semester Success, 2nd edition, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer, is now available at amazon.com, wordassociation.com and barnesandnoble.com.  Click on the upper right link.