A survival guide for finals week

By Khallid Muhsin|December 7, 2022

Math Study Center receptionist Anne Hill studies inside the Math Building at El Camino College on Tuesday, Nov. 15. Hill, a former student, has been a part of the El Camino community since 2015. (Ethan Cohen | The Union)

With finals approaching, students are scrambling to prepare for their upcoming tests and exams.

Everyone knows the feeling of cracking open that textbook or pulling out those flash cards and the stress that comes with finals week.

Proper study techniques are essential in various areas of life, not just for education. Studying is a required asset for growth and advancement and learning plays a role in maintaining a healthy, functional brain as students age.

Here are the best study tips for finals from students and employees at El Camino College.

Sociology major and student worker Rachel Bishop has numerous methods to help her focus.

When it comes to studying, Rachel Bishop requires a supportive environment as well as non talkative space in order to concentrate fully on her academics or whatever she is trying to memorize. When there is no noise, she prefers to study in her kitchen at home.
Rachel Bishop, a sociology major and student worker, requires a supportive environment as well as a quiet pace in order to concentrate on studying. She prefers to study in her kitchen at home. (Khallid Muhsin | The Union)

Bishop needs a positive environment around her, mainly silence, so she can completely focus on her schoolwork or upcoming exams. Her preferred place to study is in her kitchen where there are no distractions.

“To memorize things, I have to read the answers a couple of times or write it down on flashcards,” Bishop said. “I repeat to myself certain keywords and play around with the answers in my head for me to memorize the answers.”

There are various ways for students to put these study habits into practice. However, every learner processes information differently; what works for one student may not always work for another.

Undecided major Pedro Paredes, 19, does not always study before an assignment or quiz is due, but he’s aware of due dates for homework and dates for quizzes and exams.

Pedro Paredes makes sure he is aware of his work before it is due or before a quiz or test, but he does prefer to study in his room when it is quiet and there are few distractions.
Pedro Paredes makes sure he is aware of his work before it is due or before a quiz or test and prefers to study in his room where it is quiet and has few distractions. (Khallid Muhsin | The Union)

Paredes’ best place to study is his room where there is peace and quiet and there are no interruptions.

“My study pattern is to write the answers down and go back and forth to keep myself memorizing the answers I have already recited to myself,” Paredes said.

Lynette Muñoz, 18, who is also undecided, has a set place and time to study when it comes to focusing on her schoolwork. Muñoz‘s top spot to study is the cosmetic building on campus which is a quiet place where there are no distractions.

When it comes to concentrating on her schoolwork, Lynette Muoz, has a set place and time to study. On campus, Muoz likes to study in the cosmetic building and any welcoming environment on and off campus to study in order that her surroundings won't be a distraction.
Lynette Muñoz,18, has a set place and time to study. When she’s on campus, Muñoz likes to study in the cosmetics building so that her surroundings will not be a distraction. (Khallid Muhsin | The Union)

“The best way I study and memorize things is writing down answers and repeating them to myself constantly so I can remember what to say and how to say it on a quiz or exam,” Muñoz said.

Andy Tran, a tutor at El Camino, helps students with their schoolwork and shows them how to study for exams. He challenges them to write more elaborate notes and quizzes them on questions they could expect on upcoming assessments.

When it comes to instructing students, Andy Tran, an El Camino tutor, is highly exact. Tran teaches them how to study and how to find information, in addition to helping them with their schoolwork. He ensures that they are up to date on their notes and tests them by posing inquiries that are pertinent to an impending quiz or exam.
Andy Tran, a tutor at El Camino, teaches students how to study and how to find information, in addition to helping them with their schoolwork. He ensures that they are up to date on their notes and tests so they do not fall behind. (Khallid Muhsin | The Union)

“The best way I study is to highlight my notes and memorize them by reciting them back to myself over and over and studying all over again in the morning to make sure I am prepared,” Tran said.

English professor Cindy Tino-Sandoval has recognized a good amount of students have not been studying as much as they should and that she is open to helping students in any way to get that passing grade.

Cindy Tino-Sandoval, the instructor of English 1A, has noticed that many of her students have not been studying as much as they should. On the exams they took in her class, a sizable portion of the students she have been taught demonstrated that they had not studied. She will offer whatever assistance she can to students in order for them to succeed, because that’s what she wants for all over students.
English professor Cindy Tino-Sandoval says students have not been studying as much as they should. She offers extra assistance to her students because she wants them to succeed. (Khallid Mushin | The Union)

“All of the sources of information are not going to be handed to students,” Tino-Sandoval said. “Since modules are on Canvas, students should study most of [the] information that is on there and study along with lectures that are in-person by putting information in their notes.”

The campus has numerous resources to maximize getting in those last-minute study sessions before and during finals week.

The Writing Center is currently hosting “Research Paper Panic Week” in the Humanities Building through Dec. 8 while the Associated Students Organization will be hosting “Finals Madness” in Schauerman Library on Dec. 12-14, from 7 to 11 p.m.