Tea and Textbooks

It's everyone favorite time of year and no not Christmas time, I'm talking about finals week. If you can't tell I was being sarcastic, I hate finals week but at the same time it's almost a sigh of relief week for me. This semester in school was my second to last semester and the hardest one by far (not just in my eyes). We take mother baby nursing, adult health two and a gerontology class, personally I love mother baby and while its an 8 credit course and the most demanding class of the semester I almost felt like I got through it two easily. Adult health two is another story, I have never been good at adult health, I get it but not like I get mother baby. And gero well that was a whole 2 credits worth of a joke, and the teacher made it way too easy for us to not take that class seriously.

Any way before I begin a tangent about classes my main point was finals and how most people stress out until the final exam. For me at this point I feel like Ive sat through enough exams, read the chapters, took the quizzes, ect that I either know it or I don't and if I don't well then I'm screwed because there is no way for me to learn an entire semester in a weekend. So my finals routine consists of simply this:
-Review some of the stuff from the exam(s) I got the worst scores on over the semester
-Listen to the lectures that covered that material, we are fortunate at my school our lectures are video recorded.
-Take several naps through out the weekend
-Drink tea or coffee, I love coffee but I am trying to decrease my intake so Tazo Passion tea is my replacement.

So I have two finals tomorrow (Monday) then my last one on Thursday. However finals weeks also includes alot of other things for me, I'm the vice president of our Student Nurses Association chapter so I make several appearances at graduation events through out the week plus being a senior who will enter her final semester in January I am also planning welcome back assembly activities. Then there is the dreaded HESI exit exam. This exam determines if I am competent enough to graduate school and I need an 850 to pass, the exam consists of 160-200 questions and we get 4 hours. December 19th is what I am now considering doom's day, I either pass or fail (I get two more chances if I fail). I will save all my wonderful HESI tangents for another post.

So here are my tips for anyone taking final exams even if your not a nursing major:
-It is impossible to learn everything from the entire semester in a weekend, review what you feel weak on.
-Don't loose sleep the night before an exam, if your like me and have problems sleeping try relaxing activities the night before but studying till 2 am for an 8 am final does nothing.
-If you work well studying with others find that study group and utilize the variations in knowledge, I study better alone.
-Don't over study, your brain only studies in 20 minute periods so trying to read 6 chapters strait your brain isn't going to retain it all.

HAPPY STUDYING & GOOD LUCK ON FINALS