It might be a scary thought for some, but final exam week is coming up at UTM. For the ones who are nervous about it, the reason could be because they don’t practice the best study habits. There are a lot of tips that can be told as far as how much sleep to get, how much caffeine to consume or just how to study in general.
Stephanie Mueller, an adviser to students with special needs at UTM, works with the Student Success Center on campus and deals with this topic a lot in her line of work and has ways for students to make better grades. She said that the methods she teaches have been proven to work. The first topic she spoke about was food.
“If your idea of breakfast is a Twinkie and a Diet Coke, that won’t cut it,” Mueller said.
She said that students need protein because it is good for the brain, and it will function better. She is extremely against energy drinks. She explained that she understands they may work for a while, but they will make you crash. A little caffeine is okay, but not too much.
Next, she tells students to start studying early. Mueller said to study around an hour a day up until the test. During this hour, she says to take a break every 10 or 15 minutes. The break can be a snack break or a bathroom break, or the student can take the time to walk around if he or she is starting to get sleepy. She advises not to look at any electronic devices while on a break. This will only hinder the studying that has been done. Also, whatever is being studied should be the last thing the student sees before he or she goes to sleep at night. Mueller understands that this is the age of technology, but she strongly recommends that once the studying is done to go straight to bed so that the brain will process the information.
Some other advice Mueller gave was to “study your worst subject when you’re at your best.” What she meant was to make sure to study the subject that is the most difficult before it gets late and the eyes begin to get heavy. Also, each time the material is studied, mix up the order. If this isn’t done, the brain will expect the exam to be in that order, and that is normally not the case.
“Flashcards are your friends,” Mueller said.
She explained that flashcards make it easier to comprehend subjects as long as they are used correctly. Also, it is a confidence boost when the stack of “I know these” cards gets taller than the “I don’t know these” cards.
“Highlighting is not magic,” Mueller said.
She said to never just go through and highlight everything that needs to be studied, because the student could end up highlighting everything he or she sees. Mueller said to read through everything first, and then go back and see what is most important. The main objective to studying is to “shred,” which means to throw out everything that isn’t important.
To stay organized, Mueller said to write down a time to study. She said to “make an appointment with you.” Write down when, where and what subject in a planner.
Finally, Mueller wants everyone to be their own cheerleader. She realizes that a lot of people get test anxiety, but there is a way to get around it. She says that staying positive is the key to being successful in test-taking.
Mueller went on to explain that she knows how difficult it can be during December finals because the holidays are coming up, and there are a lot more things on students’ minds than their exams.
“Students just want the finals to hurry up and end,” Mueller said. “It will come to an end, but it may not be the end you want.”
The Student Success Center is located on the second floor of Clement Hall. Mueller and the rest of the Student Success staff will help whoever needs them.
