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Five Finals Tips Campus 

Five Finals Tips

  1. Failing a test doesn’t make you a failure.

Don’t let a failing mark define who you are. Some goals are just harder to achieve than others, but that doesn’t make you any less capable of accomplishing them. Brush yourself off and try again. You may have lost this round, but at least you’ve gained experience.

  1. SLEEP, PLEASE.

Getting a proper amount of sleep improves memory retention. Those all-nighters may not be as rewarding as you may think. They can do more harm than good, especially to your overall sleeping patterns. Being sleep-deprived stunts memory retention. You may have to come to terms with getting a subpar mark, as disappointing as it sounds. Attempting to mentally take in a lot of study material overnight may not prove to be all that fruitful in the end (not to mention impractical).

  1. “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”

Taking the time to relax and have leisure in between your studying is important to your mental well-being. Give yourself some time to breathe. Play video games, watch some Netflix, meditate — whatever makes you happy. If you want to have a productive balance between playing and studying, try the “50/10 Rule”. Basically, you give yourself a ten-minute break for every fifty minutes that you study. Throw in your favorite treats to look forward to every fifty minutes too, if you like!

  1. Write, recite, repeat

Try not to skim through notes in hopes of recalling them to mind during an exam. Writing notes by hand (not on a laptop) improves your ability to understand and helps your memory. To give an extra memory boost, reading notes out loud (or even singing) can come in handy for forming new memory pathways. Give it a shot. There are different types of learning out there, perhaps find the one that best suits you. Whether it’d be auditory, visual, kinesthetic or reading and writing. The internet is a wondrous place.

  1. Find your study space

Your Fortress of Solitude, your hiding place, whatever you want to call it. A place where you feel like you can concentrate on your studies without being distracted, whether it’d be on-campus or off-campus. Your local library, cafe, or your own humble abode (as long as it’s quiet enough for you). Setting a specific time of day to do it can be beneficial too. It can be at dawn, dusk or somewhere in between. Creating a timetable can be easier to follow. Does anyone still use a Vanier agenda, by the way?

Also, Shout-out to the Writing Center and other helpful resources

If you want to develop your essay writing skills and critical reading skills, I highly recommend dropping by the Writing Centre in the Vanier library. Teachers offer help to critique other writing as well, including scholarship letters. The TASC center is another place you can come by. From English, to math, to science. There are peer tutors who can help you at the drop of a hat. Here’s a word of appraisal from a friend who took advantage of these resources; “These resources have been a lot of help to me when I first immigrated here, and the people – Oh, the people – are so kind here! When they have the time, people take a thorough check on what they know to help you.” – Sara Rebeca Palacios

On a side note, I would like to congratulate all those who are graduating this Summer 2018. Wishing you the best of luck in all of your future endeavors!

 

Written By: Alaina Roberts

 

Image source: The Compass

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