Student Government Association members handed out “final survival kits” this week as students closed out the fall semester. The kits, which SGA members distributed in the mall area Wednesday and Thursday morning, contained a bag of chips, a Capri Sun, a granola bar, a notebook and stress relief toys.
“We understand students get test anxiety, and they need something to stimulate themselves, so we wanted to make these kits to help them so that they don’t have as much anxiety while taking finals,” SGA President Marisol Gaitan said. “Sometimes, students come to campus without eating anything, so we incorporated juice, chips, and a granola bar.”
Mechanical engineering major Emily Thomas said snacks, study music and pacing are important to her success when studying for finals.
“I start by reading small amounts to get myself in the mood, then give myself a reward like a snack,” Thomas said. “I have a studying playlist that consists of video game music, which puts me in the mood to study more.”
Psychology major Andreas Revilla said repetition is key when it comes to studying.
“I put on calming music and then review all my notes. If I don’t understand something, especially if it’s from my stats class, I’ll search up practice problems, work it out until I finally get a good grasp on it,” Revilla said. “I color code my notes so that I know what to look at, and I make associations in my mind to the definitions of words and the concepts of the ideas.”
While having background noise may help some students, others need silence.
“I’m old school, and I like silence when I’m studying,” computer science major Gloria Flowers said. “I’ve learned to become disciplined when studying by maintaining a consistent schedule. I feel very comfortable because I’ve been working through my whole semester as if it’s a job now. I don’t feel pressure when it comes to my finals.”
Gaitan said that while some students may feel overwhelmed or anxious about finals, a positive mindset can offset some of that anxiety.
“Take a deep breath, take your time, remember you can do it,” she said.
Read Next: Media Arts Students Interview Mentors in KSAT Studio
