How are Elon Students Coping with the Stress of Finals?

With the end of the 2021-2022 school year rapidly approaching, marks the beginning of one of the most stressful times of the year: finals week. In order to get all the best grades, it is vital to keep time managed and to stay focused. 

There is a multitude of different ways to keep sane and still get everything done. It’s all about finding different mechanisms that work for YOU. 

We at The Edge talked to a freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior about their thoughts heading into finals week and what works for them when they get overwhelmed!

Q: What types of assignments do you have the most of this week (i.e, tests, papers, or projects)?

Freshman: I have a presentation for my English class, I gave my final speech for my public speaking class last week, I had to do 20 hours of community service for my healthcare relations class, and I need to study for my anatomy exam. 

Sophomore: I mainly have final projects. 

Junior: I mainly have papers and a few final projects. 

Senior: This week I have mainly final papers. I have one exam, but it's mainly some form of research or reflection papers in the rest of my classes. 

Q: What types of final assignments do you prefer and why?

Freshman: I prefer to do presentations and projects because I feel like I’m much better at performing my knowledge about a subject verbally. Personally, I’m not the best test-taker and believe that my knowledge isn’t measured accurately by taking exams. 

Sophomore: I prefer projects because I have more time and there is normally a clear outline of what I need to do, but tests are a little less clear cut with what will be on it. 

Junior: I prefer projects because I think it's an easier and more accurate way to apply knowledge from the entire year. 

Senior: I prefer group presentations. I think that they are less stressful for the last week of classes because you get to work with your classmates and come up with assignments together. 

Q: What are some of the most effective study methods that have worked for you in the past?

Freshman: When I do have an exam coming up, I make a lot of study guides through Quizlet. Especially for anatomy, I do a lot of interactive activities such as drawing, labeling, and highlighting key information. I also try to take notes from lecture slides and textbooks and make sure to review my notes every day for 30 min or an hour.

Sophomore: I like using flashcards and re-writing all of my notes again to help me remember the information. 

Junior: Effectively organizing my time and using small breaks while doing work helps me to get things done. Also, switching up the assignments that I’m working on, so I’m not staring at a huge paper for hours on end, is really helpful. 

Senior: My favorite study method is Quizlet. I’ve been using it since high school, and I’ve found it to be very effective. Also, I like to use the audio setting on Quizlet too when studying to really get the concepts ingrained in my head.

Q: This year, based on what types of finals you have, how do you plan to get everything done?

Freshman: This semester I don’t have a ton of finals so the work is very manageable. However, last semester I had three exams to study for and honestly I was in the library until 1 am every night with a Bang energy drink– trying to fit as much knowledge into my brain as possible. To say the least, I was very stressed and was very happy when finals were over.

Sophomore: I am already done with one of my classes, but it really helps me to plan out my schedule. I have one more exam a little bit from now, but I’m really going to try and plan everything out to get done a little bit each day. 

Junior: I plan to start doing my work ahead of time so that I can give myself the proper amount of time to make sure that everything that needs to be completed gets done. 

Senior: This year, I am lucky to not have too many finals. One of my finals is optional and the other is open notes. I do have an intermediate macroeconomics final that I will review past assignments and homework for. Since I do not have a heavy final exam course load, I’m not too concerned about timing.

Best of luck to everyone on their finals!

Photo from Unsplash.