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How to Survive Finals Season

Monday, December 20th, 2010


Photo courtesy of thepretenda

Written by Megan Soyars

Thanksgiving has passed, and Christmas is not yet here, but in between these two holidays lies that behemothic hurdle known as FINALS. Invented by sadistic school board members, finals is a period spanning roughly one week, in which everything in all your classes is due. Four papers, three exams, and three presentations (including a presentation on a paper).  You wonder how you will live through it all.

Fortunately, you have these handy tips to guide you!

  • Don’t cram the night before
    • My friend told me a “horror story” that resulted from a night of cramming. My friend pulled an all-nighter to study for an Astronomy exam.  Several cans of red bull helped him get through the night. But when he showed up to take the exam the next morning, he zonked out at his desk and slept through the whole thing! Naturally, he failed the exam and nearly ended up failing the class as well. Let this be a warning to all you procrastinators. Studies like this one have also shown that the brain has difficulty processing a lot of information in a short period of time (especially since cramming precipitates fatigue and stress). If you must cram, do it two nights before the exam. This gives you time to ingest all the information you memorized and prevents you from being sleep-deprived on test day.  You can also do a quick review the night before to further cement the material in your brain.   
  • Get your papers out of the way  
    • I was an English and Communications major in college, so I was always inundated with papers during finals week. I quickly learned to write my papers first, since they don’t require any memorization. This left me free to study for finals a couple days before test day. This way, everything I studied would remain fresh in my mind, and I wouldn’t waste time  typing out a paper on imagery in Keat’s poetry  when I really needed to be boning up on my Spanish vocab for the exam next morning.  Another plus of this method is that you can go back and proofread the paper a day or so after you’ve written it. By looking at the text with fresh eyes, you’ll be able to catch errors you missed before. A final plus–if you turn the paper in early, you may earn kudos with your professor!
  • Switch up locations
    • I know this sounds like weird advice, but it prevented me from burning out during 12-hour study blocks. I would study in different locations throughout campus, usually spending only a couple hours in one place. For example, I’d start off studying in the library that morning, and when I felt myself getting antsy, I’d move to the couches in the art building.  I would also switch up what subject I was studying. If I spent an hour studying Spanish in the library, then I’d spend an hour writing my psych paper in my dorm room. A little variety goes a long way to keep you from feeling bored (and also prevents your butt from getting sore!).
  • To study group or not to study group
    • Study groups have both their pluses and their minuses. I found that I enjoyed study groups held with my friends, but I got a lot less work done. Discussion on Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus dissolved into conversation about that cute guy who played Bassianus in the film version of the play. Study groups held with random people in my class were a lot more boring, but I also learned a good deal. Because we concentrated on the study matter, we were able to benefit from each other’s knowledge. Maybe that quiet guy who sat across from me in class was secretly a Shakespeare scholar. So it really depends. In general, I would only recommend becoming part of a study group if you’re lost on the material, and know there are fellow group members have notes you don’t. And don’t study with friends unless you make a determined effort to stay on topic!   

Helpful Articles

For more hints, or just some ways to de-stress during finals season, check out these websites!

  • Collegecandy.com
    • College candy provides a humorous article on some unorthodox ways to de-stress during finals. Check it out here! Pet a cuddly puppy, host a dance party in the library, and more! And don’t forget to check out this article for the top ten best study distractions. YouTube, anyone?   
  • Studentbeans.com
    • Aside from offering discounts, Studentbeans.com also provides helpful articles. Check out their Exam success tips here.  

 

-Megan, Trinity University

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BUILDING A SUCCESSFUL RESUME

Friday, October 8th, 2010

written by CHRISTINA BROWER
photography by ALYSSA LAMONTAGNE

Theoretically, college is supposed to be the path to our dreams – the infamous road that we are all supposed to take in order to successfully launch our careers and begin our lives in the so-called real world. We apply to prestigious schools and pay insane amounts in tuition with the hope that the things we learn and do in the classroom will train and prepare us for the futures we have planned for ourselves.
However, most of us have terrifyingly empty resumes, which serve as nothing more than dismal reminders of the experience we have yet to gain and the things we have yet to accomplish. What’s worse is that landing an internship or job within any given field usually requires some sort of previous experience.
So how are you – a student with nothing but a high school diploma and a few semesters of college under your belt – supposed to break into the working world? By remembering this: experience comes in many forms. There are a lot of ways to beef up your resume without having any prior professional experience. You just have to look a little more closely to see how broad your horizons actually are.
For example, now that you are out of high school, why do you have to stop doing extracurricular activities? Remember how being involved in clubs and intramural activities helped you get into college? Well, the same rules can apply in order to make you a more viable candidate for an internship or a job. Being involved in different organizations on campus not only adds a few lines to your resume, but also gives you the life experience that intern coordinators and human resource representatives are looking for in a candidate. It shows potential employers that you are able to commit your time and effort to doing something, that you can work together with others, and that you can simultaneously balance multiple responsibilities. In addition, some extracurricular activities, such as student governments and activist groups, allow you to exercise your leadership and organizational abilities illustrating how effectively you can handle different levels of responsibility and how efficiently you can accomplish given tasks.
Secondly, try to find a volunteer position in the field of work you would eventually like to enter.  Again, any experience is good experience: a well-rounded person is more appealing to an employer than a one-trick pony. So, for example, if you would like to be a teacher, offer to tutor children around your neighborhood or volunteer teaching kids to read at your local library.
Thirdly, do not whittle away your entire summer at the beach. Getting a summer job will not only put extra cash in your pocket, it will also give you future references who can vouch for your work ethic in addition to your school professors and academic advisors.  Furthermore, talk to the student employment offices at your school to see if they can give you an on-campus work-study job during the fall and spring semesters. This way you can learn the basics of how an office works without sacrificing your grades.
College is the path to fulfilling your aspirations, and yet much of your future is dependent upon the steps you take to get there. Taking the proper measures in the beginning of your journey will ultimately help you out in the long run.

Christina Brower is a writer for Campus Clipper. You can read more of her advice on jobs, fashion, and student life in the Campus Clipper guidebook, “NYC Student Guide” due out in this fall 2010.

Maya Klausner is a writer for Campus Clipper. You can read more of her tips on food, fun, and entertainment in the Campus Clipper guidebook, “ NYC Student Guide” due out in Oct. 2010.

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To Be Or Not To Be…

Tuesday, August 10th, 2010

Let’s face it- higher education can be very expensive these days and living in a city like NY where nothing comes cheap doesn’t remedy the situation.  As a student, I found that my bank account was so often burdened by an array of bills- credit cards, phone bills (I swear, I barely use my phone!), transportation, buying a decent meal.  Any pocket change that I managed to come across was often devoted to things of great importance- hanging out with friends or attempting to keep up with the latest fashion trends (life is a runway, you gotta work it, honey).

These days, however, the dwindling economy leaves little to no room for many to even entertain these notions.  Many are just struggling to make ends meet. An inevitable concern for students is the ever rising cost of college textbooks. With its poor buyback value (bookstores will only buy used textbooks for a fraction of  its purchase price) and lack of relevance once classes are over, students are often reluctant to fork over so much change for a textbook.

Our friends at Shakespeare and Co. are trying to make students lives just a bit simpler with their rent-a-textbook deals. Their site, http://rental.shakeandco.com, makes renting and receiving books (delivered in as little as 24 hrs) a cinch and with over three million books in stock,  its more than likely that you will find exactly what you’re looking for at a fraction of the cost.  Love to use that neon highlighter or scribble side notes onto your text? NO PROBLEM. Shakespeare and Co. encourages you to do so without getting penalized for vandalism.

So if you’re looking for a cost effective, worry free way get your textbooks for the coming semester, Shakepeare and Co. is definitely the way to go! Hurry though- classes are right around the corner!

-Milka Adera, The New School ’12

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Listen to Advisors

Tuesday, June 15th, 2010

Chris, a  community college student, had problems with his Spanish class. Loads of new words and fast-paced studying environment did not seem to work well with him. Even though Chris was about to graduate, he had to stay at school for another semester in order to complete Spanish II as well. To make things worse, he failed Spanish I, so he would have to take it over. It was then when Chris found out that he could take Philosophy as exempt from foreign language, as he studied Spanish in high school. As a result, he has to stay at school for another semester just to take Philosophy. Could he avoid such a situation and can you?

Luckily enough, every school has academic advisement. Don’t wait that they will go around looking for you to tell you what classes you have to take or how many credits you need to graduate. On the contrary, you should find and consult them. If you do so, you will be able to plan your graduation semesters before.

Academic advisors know more about classes, schedules and requirements more than you do. They can tell you what course may be easier to take, what class may match your interests and which one is not necessary for you. They also help you make a convenient schedule, organize your time properly and make the best academic choices. If you decide to change your major at one point, your academic advisor will inform you what courses match your new major and which ones will be counted as electives.

If academic advisement is so helpful, why don’t students use it to their advantage? Well, in most cases, they don’t think about it until they face problems. Then they get upset and complain that “no one told” them. Another issue is the lack of time. Why waste time one can use to study in the library or go out with a group of friends? The truth is, however, that an appointment that takes no more than 30 minutes may save you the whole semester and some cash, as it could have been in Chris’ situation.

Thus, if you decide to be provident and get some advisement, the first thing you need to do is to find out who your advisors are and how to meet them. Remember that your advisor may not be available in the times you are, so plan it beforehand. Find out if you are required to make an appointment or may just stop by the office.

As your time matters as well as theirs, prepare some questions for the meeting. Make sure you find out what courses are necessary for your degree and which are electives. It is a good idea to take college and department requirements first because sometimes they will not fit into your schedule some time later. Even though it may be sad that an elective course you like does not fit, you can always replace it with something else, maybe even more interesting. You cannot do the same with a required class.

Find out what classes have pre-requisites and make sure you take them before. Classes that consist of two parts need at least two semesters. And face it: you may fail one of them and may have to take it over. Do not postpone your graduation because of one course, give these “long,” two-semester courses priority.

If you are planning to transfer to another school, ask your advisor what classes will be taken by the institution you are transfering to. If you pay for the course and do the work, why not get credit for it? Every credited course is a huge step towards your successful graduation, so don’t  wander around and choose a straight path.

And finally, make sure you know at all times how many credits and what classes you have left to graduate. If you need to meet your advisor again, don’t be shy: that’s what they are there for.  As a famous saying claims, “Only educated are free,” so be educated about your school load and do not neglect advisors’ help.

Ekaterina Lalo

Check out my blog at www.nycvalues.blogspot.com

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Tips to Get You Through Your Finals Alive and Well

Wednesday, May 26th, 2010

Finals. It is perhaps the most dreaded word in the vocabulary of any college student – a term that signifies endless nights of studying and memorizing in the last desperate attempt to jam every last bit of information into your brain before test time. No matter how long you have been in college that word does not cease to terrify your poor little brain cells. However, there are certain things that you can do to get you through your tests and on to the freedom of summer vacation.

1. Put test information (day, time, and place) and paper due dates on a calendar. This way, everything will be in one location and you won’t have to frantically search for it later on. In addition, writing everything out will enable you to check for any conflicts, which you will be able to solve well before test time.

2. Schedule your study time in advance. Carefully think about how much time in the library each class will require and plan accordingly. Remember to devote time to those tests or papers with the nearest deadline first so you don’t end up studying for a Economics final on Monday when the test date is four days later.

3. Rewrite your notes. After long hours of studying, the information you are reading literally becomes a giant blur. Writing out your class notes allows your brain to remain active, which, in turn, helps you remember that important detail when taking the final.

4. Take some time to rejuvenate your brain. Studying non-stop for twenty-four hours straight is the worst thing you could do during finals. Your body needs to rest from time to time in order to remain alert. So call a friend and go to the cafeteria for an hour, watch an episode of your favorite show, take a power nap, do something that you feel will give your mind a much-deserved break. A little something I learned from a psychology class I took when I was a freshman is my favorite way to squeeze in a little down time for myself. It’s a technique called voice relaxation therapy. Visit this YouTube link to try. It’s short and sweet, and you will feel a hundred times better when you’re finished. Promise.

-Christina Brower

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Tips for Choosing Your Classes

Tuesday, May 25th, 2010

With the freedom and independence that come along with the college experience, it’s easy to forget that we are here primarily to study and learn. Classes are an important part of college life and, thus, it is important to give a lot of thought into what you want to study each semester. That being said, here are a few things you should keep in mind when choosing your classes:

First, I would advise you to familiarize yourself with the requirements of your school’s core curriculum. The core curriculum is a set of mandatory courses that are specifically designed to provide students with a well-rounded education. Thus, universities and colleges mandate that their students take classes in a broad range of academic disciplines, such as mathematics, biological and physical sciences, the humanities, social sciences, and foreign languages. Depending on your school and your major, the core can take up to two years to complete – gasp! – so it’s best to know ahead of time what you have to take.

Second, use the core curriculum to your advantage! Most colleges and universities offer a number of different courses that can be taken to fulfill a requirement in the core curriculum. Thus, if you already know what you want to major in, look to see if there are any classes that can also count for your major. By doing so, you can: (1) Get a head start in completing your major, (2) Free up some time in your junior and senior years for fun classes or internships, or (3) Graduate a semester early. In addition, if you have not yet declared a major, the core curriculum is the perfect opportunity for you to experiment so that you can find out what fields of study interest you and which do not. You never know what you like until you try so do not be afraid to go out on a limb – that’s part of what college is all about!

Third, do a little background check on the professors who are supposed to be teaching the classes you are interested in. The website Rate My Professors is an excellent source for figuring out how a specific professor operates and what you can expect from taking his or her class. It is important to remember, however, that the reviews on this website are are the opinions of former students, and should be taken with a grain of salt. But, in my own personal experience, the ratings have been extremely accurate in depicting a given professor.

And finally, take the times of the classes into consideration. Although everyone has different preferences, I would advise you to schedule your classes when you are the most functional and active. In addition, I would recommend designating either a specific time frame in each day (i.e. 11:30-3:30, 8:30-11:30, etc.) or specific days of the week for your classes. I have found that it is a lot easier to do other things, such as sports, jobs, internships, and volunteer work, when your classes are arranged in a blocs of times or days.

-Christina Brower

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Commuter Blues: How to Make the Most of Your Daily Ride

Tuesday, May 25th, 2010

For some students, the optimal college dorming experience is not a feasible financial option and the only choice available to them is to make a daily commute to campus. Although it is oftentimes a long, tiresome affair – Believe me I know!  I commuted almost two hours a day from Queens to the Bronx for over three years! – there are some things you can do to make the most of the time that you spend stuck in the car or on the train. That way when you do finally make it to your destination, you will have less work to do and will have more of a chance to relax after a long day of commuting and learning.

If you are taking public transportation to get to school, then your commute is probably the best time to get all of that assigned reading out of the way. So before you bolt out the door in the morning, check to see what needs to be read for your classes and try to devote your commute to completing that task. It’s a relatively easy way to get things done. Honestly, there is not much you can do on a train or a bus, so remembering to grab those books or that e-reader (i.e. Kindle, Nook, iPad) in the morning will also save you from countless hours of commuter boredom. And, on the plus side, when you finally get home, you will have less to do and can maybe even squeeze in a little relaxation time before you have to start the cycle all over again.

Even if you drive a car to school, there are still ways that you can get some of your homework done before you pull into your driveway. Although you can’t actually read a book while driving, you can listen to one. So my advice would be to see if you can find the audio book versions of those novels for English class, and listen your way to some free time.

-Christina Brower

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The “Is it Worth It?” Test

Saturday, May 22nd, 2010

In his book, The Magic of Thinking Big, David Schwartz gives the following relationship advice:

Before you start getting upset and fighting about something, put the situation to the “is it worth it” test. In other words, is fighting/complaining/crying/bickering (whatever your relationship poison) worth the consequences? Is it worth the risk of creating bitterness and resentment? Is it worth the potential for hurt feelings and ruined moods on both ends?

Here are some examples:

– Your boyfriend forgot it was your mother’s birthday, and your first instinct is to make him feel guilty. Is it worth it?

– Your roommate used up all the toilet paper and forgot to renew the roll. You’re ready for battle. Is it worth it?

– Someone bumped into you on the train, and you’re already taking in a deep breath of air for all the curse words you’re about to unleash. Is it worth it?

You get the idea. I love this strategy because it’s so simple and so effective. Just asking yourself this question helps puts things in prospective and diffuses so much frustration. So much relationship tension exists because we overreact to insignificant things (and this holds true for ALL types of relationships). My sister, Kat, might snap at me because she’s had a rough day, I take it personally and get defensive. She gets even more upset. I get even MORE upset. And before you know, it we’ve both got our arms crossed and our bottom lips jutting out. (Story of our sisterhood).

Of course there are also times when this approach isn’t the right fit. For example, if you walk in on your girlfriend making out with a stranger. In that case, I’d say it’s almost definitely worth it to have a pretty serious chat. Stewing in silence even over small stuff is never a good choice, but the point of this advice is that if you can let something roll of your shoulders, do. We say so many things we don’t mean and do so much we later regret all because of a lousy mood or displaced frustration. In fact, I once read a theory that a lot of the world’s most brutal battles have been spurred by generals because of maddeningly severe tooth aches. Hey you, generals. Was it really worth it?

– Tania Luna

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How to save lives and find time to study for finals

Friday, May 21st, 2010

It was my junior year, and I was convinced that if I added anything more complex than “brush teeth” to my To Do list it would explode. I had finals, papers, lab research, two jobs, a jobless boyfriend, and a stack of bills that made my ceiling look low. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that even Einstein wouldn’t be able to squeeze free time into my schedule. And then I met Loki. Though, at the time, his name was Mary.

I was interviewing a veterinarian at his clinic for a project (get in, get out – very simple stuff). But despite my better judgment, I decided to see the animals in the kennel. That’s when I saw him: a tiny white kitten who had been left in a cardboard box outside the clinic. The vet named him Mary (weird sense of humor). I saw that terrified little face, picked up my phone, and called Jobless Boyfriend. The conversation went something like this:

Me: “How would you feel if we got a cat? He really needs a home.”
JB: “Oh my God. Can we afford it?”
Me: “No.”
JB: “Um…”
Me: “Let’s do it?”
JB: “Okay!”

The next day, we adopted another cat (Spliooshka) because we figured they could keep each other company. And here’s the bizarre thing that happened:

Free time appeared out of thin air. While I could have sworn to you that I didn’t even have time to do laundry, here I was, adopting animals and kitten-proofing my apartment.

This wonderful calm came over me because the task at hand was suddenly so simple, so single-minded. I didn’t have to wonder what I should do first or second. And at the end of the day, I had two soft and fuzzy creatures tackling one another playfully and purring on either side of me. I smiled, picked up my notebooks, and studied for my finals.

The funny thing that happened when I re-prioritized was that I felt less stress (so I wasted less time worrying and trying to figure out what to do next), I concentrated better, I eliminated all unnecessary tasks, and I found the time to get everything done. At work, I even asked for a raise (keeping the cats in mind) and got it.

Am I suggesting you go adopting animals to do better on your tests? Not necessarily. If you can’t commit to caring wholeheartedly for a pet, then don’t. If you can, please do. There are millions of little furry lives that need saving. But the bigger lesson here is that we get so caught up in our To Do lists and responsibilities that we lose sight of the big picture: that life is about enjoying yourself and doing great things. Sometimes remembering something more important than finals can help put everything else into perspective.

P.S. If you’re interested in adopting an animal and would like some advice on where to go and what to do, please drop me a line!

P.P.S. Loki and Spliooshka (cool cats Logan, and Lady, and our newly adopted dog, Scarlett) say hi.

– Tania Luna

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How to Choose a Good Roommate

Sunday, May 16th, 2010

image credit: reelmovienews.com

Finally, you are moving to the city. You will study at the university you were always dreaming about. However, there is one big problem: rent an apartment in the city will cost you an arm and a leg. How will you make ends meet? The answer is easy: get a roommate.
In addition to lowering your housing costs, you will always have a good company. Here are some tips how to make sure that it will be a pleasant experience.
1. Pay attention to age. Big difference in age may decrease your mutual understanding. Activities that you like may be very different, as well as problems you deal with. Try to find a student like you, who will have the same interests. you can even study together and help each other.
2. Ask your potential roommate about his/her schedule. If you study in the morning, you will need to rest during the night and do your homework in the evening. If your roomate comes late and wakes you up every night, you will not get enough sleep. Interrupted sleep is even worse than no sleep at all.

Ekaterina Lalo

Check out my blog at www.nycvalues.blogspot.com

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