Ladies and Gentlemen,
Welcome to December! Some of you are probably excited by the realization that it is December already, and the rest of you are…. well….probably very concerned. Comment below to tell us how you’re feeling about December!
There is still so much to do in soo little time! How do you finish all those goals you set for 2022 before the end of the month? Better still, if you are in College or Graduate school, how do you finish those semester goals you set? Depending on where you go to school, you probably have 2 weeks at best to finish well and end the semester on a strong note. So where do you begin?
In this article, we will offer three strategies for folks in school trying to finish the semester on a high(er) note.
First strategy for finishing well — Do a check in with yourself.
What is a check-in you might ask? It is when you take an honest assessment of yourself and where things are. Akin to taking stock. Three sets of questions to ask; A) How are my grades looking at this point? Am I happy with where they are? B) Where do I want my grades to be? C) What grade do I need to get to put me on the second level.
The third question set is where you need to be very strategic. Example: If your goal was to get an A in this class. And you’re currently at a C. Given the weight of the exams or project you still have to turn in, calculate what you need to earn on those pieces to get an A. If you need to get 150 points on the exam out of a maximum 100 points, and there is no chance of extra credit, I regret to inform you but that ship has sailed. Right now you need to abandon the course of hoping for an A, and set a new target. Maybe you aim for a B instead.
The key to a successful check-in is that you come out with realistic goals that can be accomplished in the next few weeks. Here’s an example of a website that can help you calculate the grade you need.
Second strategy — Map out what you need to do to actually finish?
Consider the strategies for studying that you used throughout the semester. Did they work? For the assignments and tests where you had high grades, what was different about them? Was it in how you studied the material? Or was it who you studied with? Be sure you can identify 1-2 tactics that you used that helped with the high grades. You should be replicating these exact strategies for the final weeks of the semester. The “who” you studied with piece is very important. Often times, we learn best when we work in groups.
Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much
Helen Keller
Now, if on the flip side you don’t have any grades that you particularly want to replicate, we will offer you 4 tips to make better grades.
A) Review old exams
If your instructor has assured you that the exam is going to be comprehensive, then you need to make sure you understand 80% of the material. A good place to begin is your old exams and quizzes that you’ve had throughout the semester. Can you now answer the questions you got wrong? If not, either go to office hours and ask the professor or find a friend who got a higher grade than you on that particular quiz or exam, and ask them to explain how they picked their answers. If you can understand the concepts behind the questions you got wrong, you are in a much better place.
B) Understand concepts in your class that you are MOST familiar with
Hear me out. If you have a short amount of time to get ready for the exam, now is not the time to attempt to understand hard concepts. Now is the time to double down on the concepts you are most familiar with and make sure you can teach it to someone. This way, you guarantee that any question on the exam related to this concept will be a slam dunk for you.
C) Identify concepts you are LEAST familiar with
This one is probably the most obvious. If you don’t understand something, find a friend to teach it to you. Don’t attempt to cram it or “just get by”. If you can gain a high level understanding of this material, your chances of doing well on the exam in general improves significantly. Personally, I would study least familiar concepts only after I have mastered the most familiar concepts, as discussed above.
D) Find a study group
A good study group can do wonders for you. A good study group WILL do wonders for you. Don’t just study with your friends because it’s fun. This is not the time for fun. You will have plenty of time once the semester is over. Find people in your classes you definitely know are doing well. Explain your predicament (I’m assuming you’re in a pickle here, 😆). Basically tell them, “I know you’ve been doing well in classes, is it okay if I study with you for the final? Doing well on this exam is really important to me because of xyz.” Some people might be stand-offish and that’s okay. But I guarantee that there would be more people who are open to having a new study member of the group than not. There’s so much you can learn by osmosis and just being around these “smart” people.
The above four tips should help push you to the next level in terms of grades.
Final strategy to finish well — Make time to rest
This may seem counterintuitive. After all, shouldn’t I be expending ALL my energy on preparing for those final exams? The answer to that is NO. You should be getting as much rest as you can squeezed in there. Maybe not a full 8 hrs if you can’t swing it, (I mean sleeping 8 hrs is really a myth, Read this article to find out more). The key here is to not pull all nighters. Your brain actually synthesizes information when you’re asleep, don’t take my word for it, here’s another article for ya😁.
These are the tips we can offer at the moment for finishing well!
Here at the Savvy Afro SuccesS we are experts in long-term planning, so look out for a future blog post on how to plan at the beginning of the semester to get a 4.0, or a really great GPA. Until next time! Good luck Finishing well!
PS. Feel free to schedule time with us so we can motivate you, and don’t forget to subscribe for more content below