Ask the Expert: Third in a Series
Alejandra Yañez | THE RIDER
As the end of the Fall 2020 semester approaches, students are faced with the stress of final exams amid the pandemic.
This week, Samantha Barrera, a rehabilitation services senior, and Alison Cano, a biomedical sciences senior, ask experts for study tips to prepare for this semester’s finals.
Both students have all online classes and will take their finals virtually as well.
Asked what her biggest struggle is when it comes to test taking, Barrera replied, “Sometimes, I don’t study enough because I procrastinate a lot. When I procrastinate, I forget all about studying and then I’ll study like right there, like, last minute.”
Despite her habit of procrastinating, Barrera said she has been able to put more effort into her studies this semester due to the COVID-19 pandemic and is confident in her abilities for finals.
“For me, I didn’t really like the whole COVID situation,” she said. “It didn’t really change anything because last semester, as well, it was all online for me. But I feel like since I had more time to stay home because of COVID, I was able to fully do my work more than I did last year. Because last year, I wouldn’t really do anything as much.”
Asked what questions she had for experts, Barrera replied that she doesn’t truly have a study regiment but is open to trying different methods.
“I know a lot of people have different methods for studying, so they can give me their opinion about certain things, and I’ll try, and it just won’t work for me,” she said.
Asked what she anticipates this semester’s finals to be like, Cano replied, “If I’m being honest with you, I think they’re gonna be a little bit challenging, just because I feel like since we have moved to online classes, I don’t really have the same motivation to learn.”
She said she had to teach herself this semester using readings provided by her professors.
“I haven’t really been taught by a professor since they’ve all been asynchronous,” Cano said. “I haven’t really, like, there’s no lectures or anything. It’s just me doing a lot of reading. So, I feel that my finals are gonna be a little bit challenging just because it’s kind of based off of what I’ve taught myself.”
She said when it comes to test taking, her biggest struggle is asking questions to get clarification during tests, something she will not be able to do when taking tests online.
“Sometimes, I like to ask multiple questions on the exam if I don’t understand it and, you know, with this stuff going on, it’s not like I can raise my hand and have the professor come over to my desk and, you know, answer one of my questions that I have from the exam,” Cano said.
She anticipates her greatest challenge during this semester’s finals to be getting an A in her classes.
“Sometimes, I feel like I will get the A, sometimes I feel like I won’t,” Cano said. “I just feel like, maybe if it was done in person, I’d feel a little bit more confident ’cause I’d have the professor there.”
UTRGV Expert
UTRGV Clinical Therapist Maria Alejandra Mazariegos offered UTRGV students some tips on how to minimize stress during finals week.
Asked what advice she has for students who feel stressed about finals, Mazariegos replied, “Definitely, they should keep in mind that just because it’s crunch time doesn’t mean that they have to let go of their self-care habits, such as adequate sleep, making sure you rest, making sure you’re eating, you’re hydrated and you’re taking time to do things that are fun for you.”
She emphasized that during these times, while students are learning from home, that it is important to distance yourself from your school-related stress once you have finished the task.
“A lot of times, what students do is they’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m gonna pull an all nighter studying or cramming for this exam,’ and they end up really stressed out because they’re no longer sleeping well, they’re not eating or they’re overeating, they’re not exercising, they’re not doing stuff that they like,” Mazariegos said. “And so it’s important to know that yes, finals can be stressful, it’s normal to feel stressed, but the stress is not going to last forever. Once the final is done, the stress should be lifted.”
Asked what study tips she had for students, she replied that taking frequent breaks can help to retain information.
“I would recommend taking frequent breaks, even though that sounds counterproductive, but a lot of studies have shown that when we take breaks, we actually are able to retain more information and perform better,” Mazariegos said. “So, one thing that I like to personally recommend is, study for 50 minutes, get up, do something else for 10 minutes and then start again on the hour.”
Asked if it is OK that some students have no study regiments, she replied that every learner is different and that if you are having trouble finding out what works best for you, then visit the Counseling Center.
“I think everyone learns differently,” Mazariegos said. “However, what we know is that, typically, we should have some kind of method, and I know that there are a lot of resources at the Counseling Center that can help out with finding that method. Probably finals week is not the week to try to figure out a method, but I think it’s something to keep on your radar for maybe the upcoming semester.”
For students who have trouble with procrastination, Mazariegos recommends not being intimidated by larger tasks and finding ways to break them down.
“My advice would be to break it down into doable chunks because a lot of times, we procrastinate because we see the task as so huge or so, like, time consuming, but if we break it down into manageable chunks, you know start off with 30 minutes and then go all the way to 50 and take a break, it doesn’t feel like it’s gonna consume your entire day,” she said.
Mazariegos said the breaks work great for procrastination because it gives you something to look forward to.
“Remember to celebrate yourself and celebrate your big achievements and your small achievements,” she said. “So, after you took that test, celebrate the fact that you took your final. Don’t even wait for the grade, just, the moment you’re done with your final, celebrate the fact that you showed up, you took it, you were able to get through it and now it is time to celebrate you.”
