Advice from Selina, an international student ambassador:
It’s that time of year again! Finals will be upon us in approximately a month. The idea of finals is a lot more intimidating than it actually is. The best way to achieve success is to do a little planning.
What I always like to do, is write down what finals are on what day of the week. Fall 2015 final exam schedule can be found here. Remember, if you have three finals or more scheduled on the same day, it is possible to move one of them to a different day! Another important thing to do, is to think about what final will probably be the most difficult for you. Usually this is a class that you struggle with or spend a lot of time studying for. Next, look at the grades you have in the courses you have finals in. A borderline grade is a good final to focus on. Whether or not your finals are comprehensive, or just over new material, plays an important role in prioritizing and planning how to split up your time. A comprehensive final covers more material and will most likely require additional preparation, since you may have already forgotten the material learned at the beginning of the semester.
Once you have prioritized, it’s time to get started! Don’t leave all of your studying until the week of, this will just cause self-created stress. Studying a few hours every day, a few weeks in advance, will save you a lot of long nights as you get closer to finals. Although it may sometimes seem as if there are not enough hours in the day, remember that sleep is important!
