IT WAS the end of my first year, second semester. I left the wilderness of Fitzhugh dorm, my backpack weighed down with textbooks. My left arm carried a vat of Goldfish crackers and a bag of water bottles, while my right arm hugged my blue floral pillow. I may as well have written, "Clemons or bust" on my forehead. I was the exam warrior.
I used to be a member of Club Clemons. In fact, during exam time I was often an overnight guest. Unfortunately, though I conquered the library, I didn't exactly conquer my exams. Since then I have changed my study patterns, and the results only have been positive. Students need to take a more balanced approach to the exam period in order to achieve success.
The most important rule of exam time is to avoid Clemons library like it's your job. This feat no doubt will be easier this year as the huge, ugly construction wall, measuring roughly three miles in circumference, laughs at you as you try to find a way into the building. The wall is trying to tell you something: You were not meant to be in Clemons. Heed its advice.
Clemons at exam time is a giant ball of stress. You can feel the stress beginning with the Commerce School groups on the fourth floor, and working your way down to the hard-core first floor posse. Not surprisingly, education theory suggests that stress is detrimental to learning. Periods of extreme stress destroy as many brain cells as periods of extreme boredom. In other words, if you're going to stress out and be in an environment highly conducive to stress, you'd be just as well off doing nothing at all.
|
It is very easy for first years to get sucked into the Clemons trap because often first-year dorms are not ideal for studying. Since you most likely want to get out of the dorm, search for other places to study besides Clemons. The possibilities are endless: Find a place on the Corner. Seek out an empty classroom. Work outside for a bit. Take advantage of the special study rooms set up during the exam period. Or even hide somewhere in Alderman library. Rotate your study locations, and you'll discover that it is refreshing to change atmosphere every few hours.
If you refuse to let go of your die-hard Clemons devotion, make sure you at least get some sleep. There is nothing worse than watching the sunrise from the first floor of Clemons. This phenomenon, rather than providing you with a sense of pride and accomplishment, will make you want to curl up in the fetal position underneath one of the big wooden tables.
As college students, we have the tendency to underestimate the value of sleep. Rest, however, plays an essential role in the learning process. It is during sleep that the brain absorbs the information a person has studied. Thus, sleep and memory work hand-in-hand. Pulling an all-nighter might seem like the only way to cover all the material for an exam, especially when faced with the daunting exams in many survey courses. Resist the urge to not go to bed until you've studied every detail, or else you'll never hit the sack. It's more beneficial to get a few hours of sleep at the last minute than it is to cram a few more details into the muddle of your head.
Another common mistake many students make at the end of the year is confusing studying-related activities with actual studying. Interestingly enough, planning to study is not the same thing as studying. Talking about studying is not the same thing as studying.
In order to achieve productive, meaningful study, some degree of organization is necessary. Setting goals and creating a plan of attack helps a person keep focused. However, it is easy to spend more time planning than actually doing. Planning then turns into a way to procrastinate inadvertently.
In addition to spending too much time planning to study, many students exert more energy talking about studying than actually studying. Conversations about studying at finals time all mesh together. Everyone is busy. Everyone has a lot of work that needs to get done. No one wants to hear about it. Yes, it's unfortunate at times, but, as full-time students, it shouldn't be surprising that academics take up a lot of our time. Try to avoid study-related conversations - when you're not working, don't talk about your work because it will do nothing but add to your stress and annoy your peers.
Ultimately, having a successful exam period is contingent on keeping things in perspective. If you view exams as important, but not the be-all, end-all of your collegiate existence, your performance will improve. A healthy amount of stress is desirable, but it is too easy to take stress overboard.
No matter what, make time for sleep this exam season. If you still plan to check into Hotel Clemons, remember that pillows aren't provided - you'll have to bring your own.
(Stephanie Batten's column appears Wednesdays in The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at sbatten@cavalierdaily.com.)
Read More
IYER: Sports stadiums should sport more benefit to Virginia residents
By Arjun Iyer | 4 hours agoPast stadiums in other states show that Virginia has the potential to succeed at such a construction project, provided that proper measures are undertaken.
KURTZWEIL: True financial aid must be transparent
By Paul Kurtzweil | 4 days agoThe implications and revelations of the lawsuit should inspire greater transparency at the University in order to ensure that financial aid is properly and equitably distributed.
SULLIVAN: Ramp up physical accessibility on Grounds
By Scarlett Sullivan | 6 days agoThe University must take responsibility for the inaccessibility of Grounds and work to promote accessibility for all students despite misguided laws.
