Basic study tips can simplify finals

In a little more than a week, most students will face finals. \nFor that last minute burst of studying, students can take many paths to prepare for their finals. \nWhile student study environments differ, Dr. Sharon Chertkoff, the coordinator for the Student Academic Center, said a place that is quiet, yet allows students to be in touch with their senses, is most conducive to studying.\n"Some students feel the need to get up and pace or lecture themselves or read their notes out loud," she said. "The best place is going to be a place where you feel most comfortable and you're not going to disturb anyone around you." \nFor freshman Allie Parker, the IMUG at the Indiana Memorial Union offers something Parker finds more appealing than other campus study locations. She usually goes between classes.\n"This seems to be the quietest place, and I like the nice little tables," she said. "There aren't as many distractions here; that's why I can't study in the library, I'm too much of a people watcher."\n The Main Library is sophomore Lori Snyder's favorite study spot.\n "I have to be in a quiet environment. I usually go to the fourth floor of the undergraduate side and sit in one of those cubical desks," she said. "I don't function well if I study with friends; we never get anything done."\n Staying on top of things and being prepared is a tactic Chertkoff recommended. Parker is a good example of a student who does not like to wait until the last minute. \n"I think I tend to stay on top of things so I don't get stressed during any part of the semester," she said. "It's the way I work best, really. I get overwhelmed if I don't break things up." \nBut with little time left before finals, Chertkoff said she realized many students might be behind in some course work. She suggested that before students put off studying until the eleventh hour, they should seek as much help as they can.\n"Academic assistance can be found through several outlets," she said. "Go to office hours, find a student who had taken your course a previous semester and ask them what they remember. Little things like this can help out a lot."\nWhile students such as Parker indulge in the habit of staying on top of their studies, Chertkoff said not all students have first-rate study habits and many put off studying until the last minute.\n"The best advice I can give towards procrastination is simply, don't do it. Start (studying) right now. Do something, anything -- even if it involves planning how you're going to study; that at least is a good starting point," Chertkoff said.\nFor procrastinating students, Chertkoff suggested that they analyze "trouble areas" to prepare for the exam.\n"Say you have a student who hasn't been keeping up with the reading but has been going to class and taking lecture notes," she said. "One way a student can learn the text material is through going through their lecture notes, and then skimming the text to fill in any information missing or become more in tune with the material expected from previous exams."\nChertkoff also suggested getting old tests from previous semesters -- a task she admits might not be accessible but can help procrastinating students get a good idea of what is expected.\n"A huge amount of students think tests are strictly memorizing information and then regurgitating it back out onto a page," she said. "That usually isn't the case in college. Tests in college usually require more critical thinking." \nStudents need to understand what type of final they are going to have, ask themselves what type of questions are going to be on the test and figure out what information or output is going to be required, Chertkoff said.\nChertkoff said students can come into the Student Academic Center and request additional help. \nThe Student Academic Center is holding a workshop, "How to Beat Test Anxiety," at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Briscoe Academic Support Center, Center Building. Call 855-6931 for more information.