Michael Escobedo, senior in Statistics, shares tips and resources for preparing for midterms.
With as many exciting opportunities to get heavily involved on campus as possible, it is essential that students do not forget about their studies. Whether this is your first year or you’re sorting out post-graduation plans, having a consistent workflow will bolster your academic success and make life on campus more fun and a lot easier. I’ve achieved academic success with a few study tips and academic resources that I will share with you today.
Review consistently
First, as someone who is very studious, I recommend constructing a system where you consistently review material for your classes throughout the semester. Any effective study schedule will allow you ample time to comprehend your material enough to prepare you for exams and projects. Personally, I take note of when each of my midterms, finals, and other major assignments are due, and plan at least a week of time for me to review any concepts that I feel stuck on. For instance, if I had a class that covered three chapters of material, I would dedicate one day to each chapter to write review questions and at least two days for a comprehensive review of all my content. From there, because statistics is very computationally-based, I would practice problems as much as possible.
Find your study space(s)
Next, it is important to have a study space that allows you to engage with your material as effectively and efficiently as possible. I recommend the Grainger Library and the Undergraduate Library, as both allow you to study peacefully or openly cooperate with others if that is more preferable. As mentioned before, statistics is quite computational, and as someone who is a big fan of whiteboards, I particularly like doing practice problems on a whiteboard with my friends in the study room of my apartment building. It allows me to have fun with the material, as I get to teach my friends what I’ve learned, while actively reinforcing concepts that are crucial to understand as a future statistician.
Get academic support
Now, for academic resources, I will always recommend going to office hours first. As someone who is a former course assistant, office hours are designed not to only help with homework, but to help students further engage in the material and explore their interest within the concepts that they are learning. Not to mention, I have had wonderful experiences with getting help from professors and their teaching assistants, as faculty is highly collaborative and quite welcoming. From here, there are many other resources that are available to promote academic success such as: Statistics Advising, the Mathematics & Statistics Student Support Center, and the Statistics Tutoring Database.
With all that said, it is crucial that you find a system that works for you. For me, I have sought a workflow that allows me to utilize spaced repetition for reviewing material, to access my professors and peers for help with understanding challenging concepts, and to find a fun way for me to engage with my studies. I challenge you to find a system that will allow you to effectively engage with your own material in an exciting and collaborative manner, as you strive to be the best version of yourself this academic year.