December is full of many upcoming events: Advent, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, etc. Unfortunately, for us students, it also means the dreaded finals. While it might seem that it is all piling up fast, there are effective ways to study for finals that are easier than you might think. Our St. Joe learning consultants recommend these tips:

Study with others in addition to studying alone. Have a family member quiz you, or study with a classmate preparing for the same exam. Studying with others helps you better understand concepts and retain information.
Establish a good study space.
Remove distractions such as your phone and TV.
Decide if you study better in silence or with music.
Determine the best location for you. Do you study better at home, at a coffee shop, at school, or at a library?
Drink water and get good sleep.
Engage as many senses as you can while studying.
Sight: Use colorful pens or flashcards. Watch videos on topics. Read over your notes.
Hearing: Read aloud to yourself. Discuss concepts with a study buddy.
Touch: Write out your notes or concepts when studying.
Smell: Light a scented candle when studying.
Taste: Chew gum when studying and/or have a healthy snack during study breaks.
St. Joe freshmen are also learning about effective study tips in their Freshmen Experience classes. Freshmen Experience teachers have been having freshmen take notes about various things throughout the semester, but as finals approach, they have shifted their focus to notes about studying. Here are some other tips from these classes:
Take short study sessions.
Set time for studying.
Find a break in your schedule to study every day, even if only for twenty minutes.
Make flashcards.
Set a study goal.
Teach someone else.
Don’t always listen to music.
10/24/7.
Interact with new material within ten minutes, review within 24 hours, review again within seven days.
Of course, these are not the only options. There are numerous ways to study, and everyone has a different form that works better for them. The examples listed above are just some of the most effective, according to studies. Of course, good luck to everyone with their finals this season. We got this!