Hello Math Majors,
I hope that you had a restful Thanksgiving Holiday break and that you are ready for the final two weeks of classes. I know that this can be a stressful time, so I want to give you some helpful tips when it comes to studying for final exams since I know that you will be starting to study soon. Please don't forget about your resources during this time of year, and please know that your course instructors want to see you succeed!
Final exams can be very stressful things, and I'll admit that I was terrible at studying for them. Thus, I would strongly encourage you to start thinking about how to study for exams sooner rather than later. The Princeton Review has a great article outlining to how prepare for final exams, and here are the key points:
1. Make a finals game plan.
2. Start early.
3. Study in this order: a) definitely b) probably c) might be on the final.
4. Give yourself more time to study for your toughest classes.
5. Form a study group.
6. Talk it out.
7. Get creative with study aids.
8. Study your notes.
9. Quiz yourself.
10. Make sleep a priority. (DO NOT CRAM ALL NIGHT LONG!)
11. Take five.
12. Brain food is real.
You can read the full article at https://www.princetonreview.com/college-advice/how-to-study-for-finals for more information about each of the above 12 points.
Here are some additional things to keep in mind for exam day. First, make sure that you plan for plenty of time to get to your final exam so that you can be on time. We have had good weather so far this fall semester, but that doesn't mean that we won't have snow on the ground come exam time. Second, always bring more materials to your exam than you will think you will need. A final exam is a terrible time to run out of pencil lead, pen ink, or scratch paper, and it would be bad time for the batteries in your calculator to die without replacements. Remember Murphy's Law! Third, DO NOT CRAM ALL NIGHT LONG for your final exam in any class! It almost never pays off to do this, and you won't remember any of the important information in the long term. I know that this was mentioned above, but I feel like it is that important. Lastly, remember to have a restroom break before your final exam starts.
I hope these tips help you have a successful final exam week. Please contact your course instructor as soon as possible if something happens that could prevent you from taking your final exam. The worse thing that you can do is not contacting your course instructor if an extraordinary event or circumstance is going to prevent you from sitting for the exam. Things happen, and more often than not, an alternative will be available.
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Best wishes, Doug
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