A Freshman's Guide to College Finals

By Sarah Warren on December 2, 2016

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Finals are fast approaching and many of us freshman want to stick our heads in the sand. Never fear, though! Here is a Freshman’s Guide to College Finals.

Don’t Panic
Whatever your final tests and projects may entail, panicking will not help. Your professors do not want you to fail and have not designed the test to tank your grade. In all likelihood, they just want to make sure you’ve learned the material and have designed the test accordingly. Nothing worth panicking over, no matter how hard the subject matter is.

Know Your Limits
Finals registration is tricky at best and schedule-destroying at works. With block exam times, potential retakes, and a variety of test-taking locations, scheduling college finals can be a nightmare. While it might be tempting to cram them all into a few days and get home for the break as soon as possible, make sure to be smart about it! You might be able to take three big exams in one day, but it also might be smarter to spread them out a little more. Know your limits and plan accordingly!

Know Your Resources
Yes, college finals are scary, but thankfully most schools and professors provide students with a variety of resources. FSU offers ACE Tutoring, the Reading and Writing Center, and Strozier Library has subject librarians that can help with term papers and research projects. Lots of professors schedule review sessions, make notes or slides available, hand out rubrics, offer extra credit, or hold in-class review sessions to take the pressure off college finals week. Also, professors hold office hours and usually make their school emails and phone numbers available to students on the syllabus. Take advantage of these opportunities to contact your professors and TAs!

Find a Good Place to Work
The right study environment is key to succeeding in your first round of college finals. FSU is home to an abundance of libraries with study spaces, the Sweet Shop right by campus, many greens with outdoor seating, and in-dorm breezeways and study rooms. Find the environment that fits you best and get studying!

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Know When (And How) To Take a Break
Studying is a lot like weight lifting - it might seem like a great idea to do as much as you can as often as you can, but that’s not always the best tactic. We build muscle by creating small tears in the muscles, which heal stronger than they were before. Studying is a lot like that. You’re not going to memorize your textbook overnight and cramming a bounty of information into your brain all at once will only lead to mix-ups. Taking a ten minute break every thirty minutes will help clear your head and sharpen your focus.

Learn for Next Year
Maybe the deadline for registration has passed and you know you’ve overloaded yourself. Maybe you’ve already botched a few tests. Okay. Instead of beating yourself up over it for the next four years, learn from it and don’t make the same mistake next year. Freshman year is a learning curve and even though grades are important, one semester will not make or break your college career. So take a deep breathe and dive into college finals!

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