4 Down, 2 to Go: How ter Keep Yer Wits About Ye Durin' Exams

          Whew!  What a week.  I can honestly say I have never studied as much as I have in the past two weeks, and I'm not done yet.  All semester I've managed to stay on or near the A side of the grade borderline in my classes and I'm fighting hard to keep it that way.  Ever since my high school geometry teacher taught me how to calculate needed scores to get my desired grade I've made sure to keep track of my grades throughout the semesters so by finals I know exactly what I need to get.

My yard didn't have much left blooming by Thanksgiving break,
but I'm glad to see we'll have plenty of milkweed growing again next year.

          This semester I started my last two years of my chemistry degree at my first away-from-home university.  This is actually the third college I've attended in the past 7 years.  I got a Bachelor of Arts degree from my first university, used it for a couple of years and then realized my passion lies in science.  So the next year I started my chemistry degree at a junior college before transferring here.  Excluding this semester (scores aren't in, yet) I have always gotten As since high school.  Believe me when I say admitting that is not bragging.  None of the classes I took during my first degree challenged me nearly as much as the classes this semester, and my calculus classes last year have.  I don't feel any pride in the 4.0 I have with my degree.  Does that seem weird?

          Here's why.  It was easy!  I barely had to put any effort into those classes to "excel" in them.  I have to thank my parents for giving me the winning genetic lottery ticket when it comes to my brain power, because I was born lucky.  I learn a bit faster than a lot of my classmates and I don't need to study as much as them to do just as well or even better.  I can't stand up and brag about my ease of learning because I have no control over that; those are just the genetic cards I was dealt and I am very, very grateful for that!  I would feel like I have the right to brag if my effort was reflected by my grades, but it isn't.  As I said, in getting that first degree I didn't need to put in much effort so I put effort in the classes that I liked and wanted to work harder in, just for me.  But for other classes that I wasn't interested in, I put in the minimal amount of effort necessary to get the A and spent the rest of the class doodling cartoons about professors I didn't like, or fictional characters I invented.

          If I get straight As this semester, though, I will be able to stand tall and say with a smile, "Yes, I earned those."  And if I get a couple Bs, guess what, I sure as heck earned those, too!  During my two years out of school I realized that the effort, and not the letter, is what really matters.  I have seen students struggle and work very hard to get a C or even a D in a class and look at it with pride, because they know that they worked hard for that grade.  They did not win the genetic lottery, and so they fight and struggle with academic material to do the best that they can, and that hard work is what matters.  Well I have worked hard this semester.  I am reading the textbooks, doing the homework even if it isn't graded, studying and staying on top of everything that needs to get done.  Sometimes I struggle, sometimes I don't do as well as I would hope, but I know that this time I am putting the effort into my work and I am proud of myself.

Christmas tree hunting with D's family.
It's a family tradition I was invited to participate in this year. :)

          On Tuesday I had two lab exams.  I expected the biology lab exam to be pretty easy, and it was.  I didn't slack in studying for it, though.  I went through all of the available Power Point presentations and notes available, I looked over my graded homework, and reread parts of the lab manual.  The lab counts as part of the lecture grade and I was just at the A so I knew I needed as many points as I could get, so I wanted to get 20/20 since just a few points could be the determining factor between two letter grades.  This is a freshman level class so I would feel pretty disappointed if I got a B.

          The second lab exam was in physical chemistry, the math course of chemistry.  I liked the math parts of general chemistry last year, but boy, p.chem is a different animal.  Throw in a healthy dose of calculus and statistics along with plenty of formulas and concepts to understand and you've got yourself a none-too-easy class.  I got a C on my first lab exam and I knew that I needed at least a high C on this one to keep the A that my lab reports earned me.  I spent most of last Sunday and Monday writing up my last lab report and studying for this exam.  I broke this up with studying for organic chemistry and my bio lab exam.

I saw my first snowflakes the day after Thanksgiving at D's house.
It was so cold icicles formed on the net over the pond.

          Wednesday was my last organic chem. exam before the final.  It was mostly reactions: knowing the mechanism, reagents, or products of reactions.  I had planned to get a jump-start studying for this over Thanksgiving break but I thankfully ended up far too busy spending time with loved ones and relaxing.  But that meant I still had a lot of work to do.  Last Thursday (not yesterday) I had the organic chem. lab exam.  The lab for organic and p.chem are separate from the lecture portions of the classes so they get their own grades.  After I studied my butt off making sure I could interpret and analyze IR and HNMR readings, I had to buckle down and start studying for the lecture portion of the class.  I read the chapter and worked the problems as the book presented them checking my answers in the manual.  I made a guide sheet for each new type of mechanism illustrated and wrote down as many examples and key points as I could find about each mechanism on this sheet.  I then listened to the recorded lectures and followed along as the professor went through each mechanism.  This exam was over four chapters, and by the exam I had only had only thoroughly go through two of them.  I quickly went over the last two in the two hours before the exam, taking notes, and watching the sped up lectures.  Thankfully I knew that even if I did poorly on this exam, my performance on the final could replace this score if I did better.

          Wednesday evening I took a reward break to play my favorite video game before a p.chem review session.  The organic exam went much better than I expected and I knew that I got at least a 60%, which I would happily accept after running out of study time.  Thursday I slept in to make up for some lost sleep during the beginning of the week, and then I studied for today's biology exam.  The final exam is optional because we only get to keep our 4 best exam scores and today was Exam 4.  The final is scheduled for the same day as the organic chem. final and I really want to be able to spend studying time completely focused on getting those mechanisms learned solidly.  That said, I had to do GREAT on today's exam.  I studied for multiple hours and went to review sessions to get a mid to low A on the first exam.  I studied less hard and went to fewer review sessions to get a low B on the second exam.  I studied even less and went to no review sessions to get a very low B on the third exam.  I've done great in the lab, but that only counts for 27% of the final grade so I knew that I had to kick today's exam's butt to get the A and avoid taking next week's final.  So yes, I studied until 5 a.m. this morning, took a short nap, and took the exam.  There were 3/50 that I wasn't sure I got right so I had high hopes that I'd reached my goal.

          Before I give away any results, although I do not yet have official results, I would like to share:

A few flowers were still blooming at my aunt's house. We went out for lunch and back to her place for cake!

Final Exam Survival Strategies

          To do our best on days that a lot is expected from us, there are good things we should all make sure to do ahead of time in order to be ready to face the day.  The following are strategies that I followed when studying for the 5 exams I took in the past week and a half.  And guess what? After 5 tasking exams I'm still sane!

Sleep!  Yes, that's right, our brains need sleep. No matter how much we study, if we do not get sleep our brain won't be able to retain it all.  Sleep helps turn short-term memory into long-term memory.  I didn't make that up.  So if you have 5 hours before that exam and you are fighting to keep your eyes open and focused, or your head keeps nodding on its own, you need a nap.  I've read that 20 minute power naps are supposed to work great.  I much prefer taking at least 2 hours to snooze.  I put on my pjs, crawl under the covers and let myself sleep.  Yes, you are losing study time, but you are creating long-term memory that might end up being more valuable in 5 hours.

Eat.  I doubt anyone starves themselves during exam week, but make sure you're feeding your whole body. Stress can take a  huge toll on our body even if it is just attacking us for a few days.  Food is a great way to help fight it.  I know that stress kills my immune system and I usually end up very sick around exam time every year.  To fight that, this semester I made sure to add some variety to my diet.  I ate an orange, yogurt, celery with ranch dressing, banana ice cream, cheese, banana bread, oatmeal with chopped up strawberries, strawberry banana ice cream, drank lots of water, orange juice, milk, and ate plenty of carbs and fats.  I don't know the best diet for someone under stress, but when I know the stress is short-term, I eat what my body requests and throw in what I think it is lacking.  I always crave carbs, fats, and sweets when I'm stressed.  I don't overindulge, and I don't have to worry about overeating in these categories because my stomach is very small.  So if giving your body everything that it wants won't work for you, that's ok.  You know your body best.  But don't be afraid to indulge a little during this stressful time as long as you mix in fruits and veggies.  Look at it as a reward for working so hard.

Vitamins are also important.  I know that the limited fruits and veggies I get into my diet won't help my body fight off a germ very well, so during exams I take a daily multivitamin to give my body a little extra backup.  Water is another ally for your health.

Know what you know.  If you already know it solidly, don't waste time studying it again.

Know what you don't know.  This is where you should focus.

Prioritize.  Know what is most important, what will take the most time, and the areas it is ok to not do your very best on.  I knew that the biology lecture exam was very important so I made it a priority to be well-rested and well-fed before I studied for it.  I knew I could mess up in organic and make up for it next week so when I ran out of time to study for it, I went to bed to get a few hours of sleep before the test.

Don't sweat the small stuff.  One concept is really stumping you again and again.  Once you realize this is something you just might not be able to fully understand before the exam, move on.  Let those points go, wave at them and smile, or if you really feel the need you can apologize to them or give them a solemn mental funeral ceremony.  Study other things that will help you earn more points in other areas.  It is much better to lose a few hopeless points willingly than to accidentally lose points in areas you understand but ran out of time to refresh.  Trust me, you'll kick yourself over the points you should have known.

Keep it real/grounded.  Step back and look at your life, all of it, past, present and future.  Is your grade on this exam big stuff or small stuff?  Is it going to hugely impact the rest of your life?  Probably not.  A bad grade will not prevent you from getting a good job.  So right now is it more important to freak out about this exam and frantically read more notes, or would it be better to breathe and remember that this one grade will not define you?

Take a breather.  Along with food and sleep, our brains need oxygen.  Sometimes we study for too long and we don't let our brain get that important air in large quantities.  After I've been sitting too long I need to get up.  I'll go refill my water glass, take a shower, organize my work space, or do the dishes.  I find that I get the most housework done when I am procrastinating doing school work.  You could also take a walk.  I find that after walking to class I feel refreshed and more alert than after sitting for many hours.  Just do something to get the blood flowing a bit so your brain can feast on needed oxygen.  I've seen this advice in many places, so I think other people have found this to be beneficial.

Take small mental breaks.  I frequently take breaks from studying.  Sometimes I can get on a roll and study for several hours without stopping.  But usually I need to get away from the material for a few minutes just to let my eyes relax so they can focus on the pages again.  So I study a section until I notice that I keep getting distracted, then I hop on facebook or skype for a quick chat.  Surf the web, read a news story, check out some recent pins on Pinterest, see what's on the news feed.  No, this time isn't productive in my studying, but it makes me more willing to refocus after I've taken a break.  Sometimes a break can even be a change in my study method.  Instead of reading from the book maybe I can work some problems or listen to an audio of a lecture or watch a lecture online or video reinforcing a concept.  So your mental breaks can be productive.

Reward yourself!  This is last, but certainly not least on my list.  If I've been doing great studying, I will reward myself by watching an episode of my favorite show, then get right back to work.  This way I'm not distracted by wondering what happened to Sam and Dean this week or Oliver or Dexter.  I also gave myself a video game break after my exam and that got my creative juices flowing and that night's sleep was full of vivid dreams that had me waking in a good, thoughtful mood.  Food is also a reward.  Sugar is a known evil to me, but I love it so much.  So when I am stressed and working I will indulge my sweet tooth in the refined artery scratchers.

Another set of flowers still alive at my aunt's house.

Results Are In

          While I have not had my final scores affirmed, yet, I am confident that I can predict the outcomes of 3 of my 5 classes based on my performance from the rest of the semester.  First, organic chemistry lab: I had a 97% going into the exam, I loved the class and loved the material.  It was fun to study and the exam felt very manageable.  I predict an A.  Second, p.chem lab: I got my lab notebook back with full points and my lab exam with a B.  So with the A my lab reports got me, I should have maintained an A in this class.  Hard work definitely earned that A!  Third, biology, molecular and cellular basis of life: I got a high A on the lecture exam!! My studying paid off and with my strong lab score I definitely got the A and do not need to take the final next week.  (EDIT: I also got a 20/20 on my lab exam!)  I am very happy with these scores.  My organic chem. exam also came back with an A so I improved in organic, p.chem, and biology and I am very proud of myself.  All of that studying paid off.  I even got back a p.chem lecture homework assignment with the highest score I've gotten all semester that would have been a 100% if I had figured out one more little thing.

          I am very happy with the way these past two weeks have gone.  I have one week left with two more exams and I plan on aiming for As in both.  If I get them, I will be very proud of myself, and if I earn Bs instead, I will still be pleased because these were not easy courses and I no longer expect perfection in my grades.  My goal in school is to learn the material and understand it.  So if I get a B, that just means I need to study a bit longer to really understand it.

          If you have something big coming up soon I wish you the best of luck!

D and I saw this on our way to our friends' Thanksgiving party.