Woohoo! We’ve made it to the final stretch of the semester (no pun intended)! It goes without saying that this academic year has probably been one of the most challenging times to be a student. Adjusting to a full academic year without any of our usual accustomed breaks, while navigating a new online learning environment, has probably made the end of the semester highly anticipated. However, with finals quickly approaching during this time, on top of end-of-semester assignments to complete, there are surely more hurdles to overcome before we can actually say goodbye to the semester.
Effective studying consists mostly of a strategy that utilizes the first three tips provided below, a method called learning with desirable difficulties (Bjork and Bjork 58). Now you’re probably questioning why any difficulty would be described as “desirable.” Here’s why: Desirable difficulties refer to imposed strategies that create challenges for effective learning; that is, learning to fully grasp and retain information. So by incorporating desirable difficulties into your study sessions, you inherently train yourself to master the material, instead of merely memorizing it.
1. Practice spaced studying
Is it just me or are cumulative finals the scariest thing to exist to a college student? Possibly. But are they always the end-all, be-all? Of course not! Well, not if you start studying a bit day by day with ample time left over to review the material afterwards! Think about it - the last time that you crammed for one of your noncumulative exams for a class, it was probably beyond stressful and ineffective in terms of really understanding the material. So, how would one expect to do even better than said exam by cramming for a final, in which there is far more content to study? Save yourself the added stress by studying one, or a few, topic(s) at a time (depending on how far in advance you start preparing), so that
(a) You have much less to review at the end and
(b) It will be easier to review the material since you’ve spent longer studying it.
There is research to support that spaced studying enhances your long-term memory of the material due to the greater exposure (assuming that effective learning had been practiced during each exposure) (Bjork and Bjork 59).
2. Study with active recall
Actively engaging with the study material mimics test conditions more accurately than passive studying. Examples of passive studying may include re-reading the material, simply highlighting the material, rewatching lectures, etc. However, if you ask questions and complete practice questions as though you were really taking the test, your performance is more reflective of your actual performance on the real exam. Why is that? Well because active recall is the same strategy that you would utilize on the final!
3. Switch up your study space
As with most other things, learning can become contextualized. To prevent yourself from learning and/or studying in the presence of environmental cues, one should alternate study locations in order to test whether their knowledge of the material transcends environmental familiarity.
4. Take breaks in between studying
You must get through studying somehow, right? Why not extend your study time by splitting it into intervals with enjoyable breaks in between? Studying nonstop all day can tire you out pretty quick, as it is mentally exhausting. Allowing yourself breaks to rejuvenate before revisiting the material gives your mind a break and prevents you from overworking yourself so that you can continue on with a successful study session. Make sure you do something that you enjoy during these breaks! It can serve as motivation while studying to look forward to these fun and/or relaxing breaks.
5. Follow a healthy eating and sleeping routine
Studying effectively can only go a long way when you are able to think critically and retain the information, which is provided by sleep! Without sleep, our brain cannot function optimally, making all of the time that we instead spend studying counterproductive. Along the same lines, making conscious eating choices that we know will fuel us and make us feel good are key to successful studying. If you know that you often get bloated and groggy after eating noodles, for example, then that would not be an ideal meal to eat before studying! Listen to your body and it will thank you!
Now that you have read through these tips, you are one step closer to acing those finals and finally saying hello to summer! If you find that you need some support with managing the stress that comes with this time of the semester, here are some resources that can help you:
University Counseling Center: 607-777-2772 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m. Monday–Friday
Student Support Services (SSS): 607-777-2024 1-4 p.m. Monday – Friday
S.E.E.K.: 607-777-4357 7-10 p.m. Every night dorms are open
References:
Bjork, E. L., & Bjork, R. (2014). Creating Desirable Difficulties to Enhance Learning. Psychology and the Real World.
About the Author: Kelly Huynh
I am a Junior studying Psychology on the Pre-PA track. I joined REACH because I believe the broad range of topics that we cover in our program are valuable to college students, and I’d like to pass that information along as a peer educator. I think these messages can sometimes be more receptive to students when their fellow peers are spreading them. As you can see with my involvement in psychology and REACH, I enjoy learning about a little bit of everything! I appreciate being able to help others with the knowledge I gain and that is why I am pursuing the profession of a PA!