To cram or not to cram?

Finals are coming, and dead week is here. Knowing where to start studying and how to manage time can be difficult, especially with summer vacation just a couple weeks away, but some students have figured out what works for them.

“Get enough sleep, don’t procrastinate and, before a final, make sure you eat well,” said Michelle Mortimer, a senior in law and constitutional studies. “All the basic things you’ve learned in high school, they actually work. So if you do them, your finals week goes a lot better.”

Dead week is known as the week before finals, during which instructors aren’t supposed to give any tests in order to allow students to prepare for finals week.

“And because most people die during dead week,” Mortimer said.

One tip in preparing for finals was suggested by Austin Derbique, a sophomore in engineering, who said to chew gum while studying.

“There’s some correlation between chewing a particular type of gum when you’re studying and chewing that same gum when you take the test,” Derbique said. “Something about triggering the things you remember from when you’re studying.”

Mortimer said that typing up handwritten notes and study guides before an exam and defining vocabulary or answering practice questions helps her prepare for her exams.

“I’m going through what the lecture was about,” Mortimer said. “I’m remembering what the teacher said, and I can better put down my thoughts.”

Charlene Layton, a senior in animal, dairy, and veterinary science, said she tries to break up her study schedule by studying for 45 minutes, then taking a 15-minute break before returning to study for another 45 minutes. Every few hours, she takes an extra hour or two to rest.

“If I try and study for more than 45 minutes, I’ll zone out. Like I’ll start thinking about everything but what I’m studying, so I always have to take a break,” Layton said.

Layton also said she likes to teach other people what she is learning to help her remember the material. The biggest thing about studying, however, is to avoid cramming all at once, she said.

“Don’t study for too long,” Layton said, “because your brain’s not going to remember stuff if you cram.”

Mortimer and Derbique also advised against procrastination and cramming the night before a test.

“It never works if you try and study the night before and study five minutes before your final,” Derbique said. “It’s just going to melt your brain and you’re not going to retain as much information at all.”

To avoid cramming, Mortimer suggested making a schedule, including time for eating and sleeping, and then sticking to it rather than doing everything at the last minute.

“If you don’t like scheduling, find time in your day just to do little pieces of your homework instead of waiting until the end of dead week,” Mortimer said.

Layton said scheduling time for fun and relaxation is also important in order to avoid becoming too stressed about upcoming tests.

“College is supposed to be fun,” Layton said. “You can’t sit there and focus and study all day or else you’re going to get burned out, and then you’re not going to want to do stuff.”

Going outside, leaving the study area or dorm room and getting some physical exercise are good ways to take a break, let the brain rest and get the blood pumping again, Derbique said.

“Do something completely opposite of what you’re doing,” Layton said. “So if you’re like, studying, reading a book, go outside for 15 minutes.”

Everyone has different ways to study for tests, and different people have different ways of learning, so it’s important to find a way that is comfortable to study with and helps the student retain information.

Taking good notes, studying a little bit at a time, taking breaks and breaking up homework into sections are common ways that many students use in preparation for finals.

“Everyone has to find their own way to study,” Mortimer said, “This is my personal way of studying. It’s intense and it works for me, but everyone just has to find a way that they’re comfortable studying with.”

Dead week can be one of the most stressful times of the semester for some students, but getting an early start and studying well in advance for finals can reduce that stress, Layton said.

“Take snacks when you study,” she said. “It makes it better.”

— miranda.lorenc@gmail.com