Dear Class of 2014,

Wow, our first finals are already here! Sorry, I know it’s not something to celebrate, but look at it this way, we’re already halfway done with our freshman year. I swear, everything is going by so fast, it’s crazy. I feel like I just introduced myself to you all, yesterday.

Anyways, if you’re reading this, you’re probably supposed to be studying for finals. But it’s okay, you don’t have to go back; I’m an exception, right? And if you’re like any other high schooler, you’re probably on Facebook too. But that’s not an exception. Facebook’s not going to help you pass your finals; I realized that a few days ago. We need to concentrate! So exit out of Facebook, and I’m going to give you a few last-minute studying tips.

One tip is to study in a quiet room. I study in my room, but it’s full of posters and pictures so it gets real distracting. So study in your basement or the library. Go somewhere not distracting and quiet. Another thing is to not just stare at your review guide, actually read and go through it.

Here’s an idea that I used throughout the year. I use separate big, yellow envelopes for each class, and I put all my notes and worksheets in that, so by finals I have everything and didn’t lose anything, for the most part. Organization is key to getting good grades in general, not just on your final.

I’m going to let you in my strategy for studying this week. I studied one subject at a time, obviously, and for 20 minutes for each class, I went over each review guide, took notes and made flashcards. So now, for finals week, I have notes and flashcards to also study. It sounds like last-minute studying, but it’s not. Because believe it or not, while you make flashcards or take notes, you’re learning because you’re writing down and reading the material you need to know.

Make sure not to do everything last minute though, because cramming everything in, probably means you’re going to forget a lot of it. Learning takes time.

I want you all to get good grades on your finals! And I’m going to stop distracting you now, so you can make some progress on the things you’re supposed to be doing.

Make me proud!

Love,

Breana Brill