Major Keys To Success by O'Shea

Major Keys To Success by O'Shea - May 2016 Scholarship Essay

Finals week has always been stressful for me so I developed a strategy that helped to alleviate some of that stress. I finally accepted something my parent drilled in me, that preparation begins at the beginning of the semester and not the week prior to finals. Coming to this realization, I begin my semester with the end in mind. Since my goal is to pass each class, I implemented a schedule that covers class time, work, home-work, play, a study group, eat right and make sure I get plenty of rest. The schedule pretty-much kept me on track, decreased my tendencies to procrastinate, and allowed me plenty of time to organize my time and to stay focused. Two weeks prior to finals, I review past tests, utilize flash-cards, and met more regularly with my study group.
I save all my test sheets throughout the year and use them as a revision tool. I take all the tests again using a blank sheet of paper. I put the incorrect questions on a separate sheet of paper for revision and retake. It is important for me to include this step because it allows me to identify my strengths and weaknesses. In addition, I can better understand the topics that I am least familiar with thus giving me a better chance to understand the reason I marked the answer wrong in the first instance and why the answer is correct the second time.
I try not to memorize material but rather to understand concepts, so I use flash cards for material that I need to memorize, like terminology and formulas. Flash cards were particularly helpful in learning terminology for my psychology classes and memorizing formulas for my math and statistical classes. I stuck these cards on my wall which made them always visible. After a while they did not seem to be study cards but more like a plaque stuck in my head.
I read many articles that indicate that exercising and eating right are important to learning. I am a thin person with no fat to lose so I consulted my health resource person at the university I attend for a regiment that would keep me fit without losing weight. To my surprise, the exercises increased my energy level, and I also found that my stress level was lowered. As my exercise time was implemented into my schedule, it was something I was already accustomed to doing when finals came around.
From my kindergarten days, my teachers always told us to make sure we got plenty of sleep and have a good breakfast before coming to school which was reinforced by my parent. Periodically, I would read this in many articles and now it was reintroduced to me by the health consultant at my university. Now I take care not only to have a healthy breakfast on test days, but all the time. I went from eating junk foods, energy drinks, and sodas to eating healthy and found that on test days I am more focused, less exhausted, calm and more confident.
Working in a study group was beneficial to me because pooling minds helped to explain concepts that were not understood. The group acted as an accountability and encouragement for me. Everyone came with questions on topics that they did not understand and as we explored those questions the material was reinforced. These sessions were also good in comparing notes and talking through difficult concepts. We go over what we think the test may cover, and organize the material to ensure sufficient time to cover everything.
In the past, I studied with my television on, my music blasting, texting, and reading on the computer. I have since minimized my distractions while studying to listening to only instrumental music and texting less and answering only what I believe may be an emergency incoming phone call. After doing this, I found that I was much more focused and that my retention rate was higher than before.
The day prior to the test, I focus on recalling information and try not to learn anything new. I go over my quizzes, prepare myself physically and mentally, get plenty of sleep and eat a healthy meal. Building a schedule helped me to keep a few guiding principles in my mind that gives me the best chance to meet the challenges and frustrations that comes with finals.