By Chelsea Consolacion
With the last couple weeks of the quarter fast approaching, many students are preparing for their final projects and exams before a much-deserved break. We asked students for their study tips in hopes of helping other students be successful in their finals.
Anna Gold is a second-year majoring in business management.
Favorite study spot: The rotunda in Haggard Hall. She likes the background noise of the voices coming from downstairs, the light and the large amount of table space.
Favorite study snack: Red Bull. Gold said the caffeine-packed drink is her favorite while studying because she never has energy, so caffeine helps her focus.
She keeps her space organized and makes sure her notes are clear and neat. She said if your space is chaotic, it makes your mind chaotic. Between study sessions, sometimes she cries a little to relieve some of her stress. She also likes to play Candy Crush - the slogan is “swipe the stress away."
Julie Ronning is a third-year majoring in kinesiology.
Favorite study spot: The lobby in front of Zoe's Bagels. There's lots of room to study, but it can be a little loud, so she always brings earbuds.
Favorite study tool: Practice tests. She said sometimes teachers provide them online, or she makes her own set of questions from her notes.
Favorite study snack: Coffee.
During her study breaks, she gets up and takes a few paces in the library to clear her mind.
Ethan Duvall is a third-year majoring in environmental science.
Favorite study spot: His desk in his room because he said it has all his books, his laptop, all his resources and it's quiet.
Favorite study tool: Duvall said his favorite study tool varies between each class. He said if a class uses a pretest, he'll use that but if not, he goes back and reviews his professor's slides on Canvas.
Favorite study snack: Stir-fry. Duvall said he likes it because cooking allows him to take a break.
Duvall said taking a break to cook and eat is a great way to decompress from studying. He said eating is relaxing and tantalizing to the brain.
Fernan Pasion is a fifth-year majoring in accounting.
Favorite study spot: His room is his favorite place to study because it's easy to stay isolated and there are fewer distractions when he's alone.
Study soundtrack: Lo-fi hip hop because it's calming and makes his brain race a little less.
Favorite study snack: Chocolate, because it's comforting.
Between study sessions, Pasion said he goes to different clubs like SINI-HHA, a hip-hop dance club that came from two other dance clubs, Sini-GANG and WWU Hip-Hop Association and the Filipino American Student Association. He said it gives his brain a break and gives him time to socialize.
Ariana Flournoy is a third-year majoring in geology.
Favorite study spot: The tutoring center in the library because if she gets stuck, she can ask for help immediately.
Favorite study tool: Flournoy said the online study tool Khan Academy is her favorite because they have practice problems and tips and it's especially helpful for STEM subjects.
Favorite study snack: Cheese. She said she always craves cheese and it's not as loud as the crunch of chips.
Flournoy said her favorite thing to do between study sessions is to workout. She said when studying stresses her out, it relieves tension in her body and gives her time to think about any problems she may have gotten stuck on.
Quentin Cruz is a fourth-year majoring in kinesiology.
Favorite study spot: Cruz said he also likes studying at the rotunda in Haggard Hall because there are charger ports and everyone's very quiet compared to downstairs.
“Listening to lo-fi hip hop beats puts me in the zone,'' he said.
Cruz said he likes to have an organized set-up before he starts studying.
Favorite study snack: Trail mix. He said he likes the variety and the chocolate. He said it makes him feel a little healthy.
Between study sessions, he likes talking to his friends who usually come up to the rotunda. He also likes to walk around the library and stretch.
