Good morning all! I can't believe the end of this trimester is
only weeks away. It seems as if this tri flew by. This weekend I
enjoyed myself (surprise, right?), got 18 holes in, grilled by the
pool, and even did a little fishing. I had to get it all out of my
system before this week started. Crunch time starts today; it's
going to be a long three weeks.
Finals' Tips
The ends of the trimesters are stressful for absolutely
everyone. Everyone from students to professors is feeling the heat
of finals breathing down the back of their necks. The trick to cut
finals anxiety to a minimum is to be prepared. I know it sounds
easier said than done, but it's surprisingly manageable if it's
done right. I tend to fall back on the importance of studying quite
often, but it is the one and only key to being prepared. I wish
there was some kind of "magic bullet" that I could share with you
that didn't involve having your head stuck in a book all day, but
until then, old-school studying is what will pays the
bills.
Week 14
Start off by looking into the finals exam schedule, and plan out
your studying according to that. At first this can be extremely
intimidating, staring down the gambit of exams lying in wait for
you. The key here is to take it only a few exams at a time. Myself,
I have 2 weeks of finals. Week 14 of the trimester will bring all
my lab practical finals: laboratory diagnosis, physical diagnosis
and phlebotomy. To me this means that all this week will be
practice, practice, and practice. I was always told, "Perfect
practice, makes perfect," and that is the only way lab practicals
can be prepared for.
In the video above, Margo is performing a two-tube venous
blood draw using
standard vaccutainer needle and tubes during our class in the
Phlebotomy Lab.
Week 15
Week 15 is no joke. This week is set aside for all our written
finals (in Florida anyway). If there is any week of the trimester
to make you shake, this is probably it. Same rules apply for prep,
take a look at the schedule, see what exams fall on what day, and
prepare accordingly.
I'll be the first to tell you, cramming does not work! In
undergraduate, I was the cramming king; at National, I learned
after my first exam I was going to have to make some changes. Start
your studying now, I hand write reviews for myself. This form of
studying forces you to read the material, write it out, and study
it afterwards. By doing this you are activating several parts of
your brain, and essentially reviewing the material in three ways
rather than one. This method as been working for me for 6
trimesters now, and I hope it helps anyone whose been pulling their
hair out over finals.
OK, another week in the books. I hope this week's blog wasn't
too much of a drag, talking about finals and jazz, but hopefully it
helped somewhat. If there are any questions regarding study
techniques or finals in general don't be shy, shoot me an email and
I'll get back to you as soon as I can.
Take care,
Dex