Drowning in a sea of poor midterm grades and swamped with reading to finish before finals, some students may give up hope for their GPAs. But University counselors say it is not too late to “save your semester” through hard work and determination.
While some students diligently make flash cards before every test, others find themselves unprepared with finals around the corner.
Junior Ted Vlachos said he has already begun to focus on specific classes he needs to spend extra time on based on his midterm scores.
“Finals are really creeping up, Bring out the defibrillator, because my semester is in need of saving,” he said jokingly.
Bob Wilson, assistant director of Educational Services at the University Counseling Center, said the key to saving a semester is self-motivation and a desire to succeed.
Wilson led a workshop titled “Save Your Semester” Thursday night designed to teach students effective study tips for final exams, especially if they are feeling the pressure of poor midterm grades. Eight people attended the program.
“At this point, don’t try to do it all, do only what you need to do,” Wilson said.
He told students the first step to success with his program is identifying what material will be on the exam.
Wilson said when reading, students can be more efficient by marking their texts as opposed to taking notes. For marking to be effective, he suggested reading a few pages at a time and then only marking important information to prevent over-marking.
He said he strongly suggests the use of memorization techniques, such as rhymes, songs and acronyms to help the students retain the information.
“These methods involve acceptance of the student. It is not the time to blame the professor or school,” he said. “You have to be motivated, set personal goals and try to live up to them. Check your attitude.”
Students evaluated the workshop, giving it an A-.
“I wish I had an A- in some of my classes,” Vlachos said.
Freshmen Katia Chupashko and Gayatri Sundaresan said they have begun preparing for their final exams.
“Midterms were a shocker, especially in economics,” Chupashko said. “I am going to study a lot more for my final.”
Sundaresan is in the same economics class as Chupashko.
“It has been hard to manage my time. I am sure everyone can relate,” she said. “I plan to study economics in a group, and hopefully that will help.”
Senior Jen Wolchansky was studying for an ecology exam in J Street early Friday morning.
“I am not worried about any subject in particular. I am doing pretty well,” she said. Having studied for many finals in the past, she offered piece of very valuable study advice: “Start early!”
