News from the Nest

As a student, I am often enrolled in online curriculum to complete assignments and take tests. I’ve used multiple online services for classes, but out of all of them, I’ve enjoyed Hawkes Learning the best for several reasons. My Four Favorite Features: Three-step process for each lesson Clear and helpful dashboard Easy simple functions Tutor options for incorrect problems Three-Step Process for Each Lesson Before using Hawkes Learning, I would stress over every word our professor said in class, painstakingly read every word of the book, and still get confused on homework. I would get problems wrong, and never learn why. With Hawkes, the three-step process of Learn, Practice, and Certify gave me the tools I needed and confidence I lacked. In each Hawkes lesson, students start by learning the content with options of reading the eBook or watching HawkesTV videos. Next, students can practice the concepts stress-free before working on the graded homework. In the Practice mode, I love using the “Tutor” feature to learn why I was getting problems wrong, to work through them step-by-step, and read an explanation. Finally, students complete Certify, the graded portion of the homework. By the time I reach Certify, I am super confident in the concepts, and I finish it easily. I am proud that I understand everything. With Hawkes Learning, this three-step process – when done as intended – can practically guarantee understanding and confidence in classes. Clear and Helpful Dashboard Knowing what to do, and when, is imperative to a successful semester. Struggling to find due dates was always one of my problems because I could never find which of the colorful tabs would be able to display what I needed to do and by when in an organized fashion. This is probably what I appreciate the most about Hawkes – the simple organization of information. Hawkes knows what students need. When I access an online curriculum, I’m looking for specific information, and with Hawkes, I can find it the moment I’m logged in. Easy Simple Functions When I am working on homework, I get easily distracted by all the excessive buttons, extra headers, extra colors, and all the links meant to be helpful for students. So by the time I read through half of the problem, I’ve already been exploring all the buttons, procrastinating on the work, and wasting my time losing focus. What I love about the functions on Hawkes is that there are not too many buttons. There are simple colors, and I can focus on the problems. The buttons that are available with Hawkes are actually helpful and useful – links to resources that I actually use. Tutor Options for Incorrect Problems Expanding more on the Tutor option in Practice, Hawkes has been the first online curriculum I’ve found that explains to the user why a problem was wrong, shows you how to do it correctly, and allows you to try it step-by-step. This feature has increased my learning confidence tremendously – especially when having to remember the many steps in math problems. Demonstration of the Tutor feature in Practice Thanks to Hawkes Learning, I was able to navigate the semester easily. By seeing clear due dates, I could work on prioritizing tasks properly. This helped me focus on the problems, troubleshoot when I misunderstood the content, and complete assignments confidently. Thank you, Hawkes Learning! Meet the Author: Jamie Stiver is a Hawkes Learning Student Ambassador and senior studying Business at the University of Olivet. She runs on the Cross-Country team and is involved in C3 (Christian Comets Connect) on campus. Her favorite class is currently Financial Management, and she is also part of the President’s Leadership Institute. In her free time, Jamie enjoys playing piano, reading, and spending time with family and friends.

As many schools are adjusting to distance learning in response to COVID-19, students have encountered new challenges as they adapt to new surroundings and learning environments. We recently asked our Student Ambassadors if they had any tips for online learning, and they shared many helpful pieces of advice. Here’s what they had to share: Keep Yourself Motivated – Even though classes have switched to online, you should still push yourself as if you were physically in the classroom. Motivation comes in all shapes and sizes. Whether you feel driven by dressing up or rewarding yourself with quality break time, you should have some type of encouraging mechanism to keep you going in online classes. It’s important to remember that even though you’re not under the same circumstances as you would be at your physical college campus, your best is still expected. Find some good music to listen to while you work on assignments. Consider playing classical music to create a calming environment. Manage your Time – Balancing projects, studying for tests, and class meetings…it can get overwhelming. Set aside a specific amount of time each day so that you can feel productive on all of your schoolwork! Try to do the work for your classes during the time you would normally have gone to class. “I find it best to listen to my lectures at their normal meeting time and then do some homework immediately after.” Realize that working from home is not a vacation! You are still a student and working toward your degree. Don’t let the illusion of “more free time” cause you stumble and forget important obligations. Avoid distractions and stay focused. Work ahead if you are able. If your instructor has posted all the class materials and opened the assignments for you to turn in. Take advantage of the time you have and try working ahead of schedule, so you will have extra time if something comes up later Use a Planner – “I do not know what I would do if I did not have my planner to write down all of my assignments and meeting times for my classes!” Write down ALL due dates in a planner! It can become difficult to keep due dates straight when everything is due online and you aren’t going to class to hear reminders. “Personally, I like to use a planner to lay out things that I need to get done every day. I sit down each Sunday and set my planner for each day of the upcoming week so that I know when I need to work on things and on which day my assignments are due.” Keep a Schedule. One of the most important things for taking online classes is to make sure you show up to those classes! Get a head start by having your schedule planned out and ready beforehand so that once your classes start, you don’t find yourself distracted by other things. Keep a positive study space – Set up your desk space with the things that will keep you productive. This includes on your computer as well! Don’t leave tempting tabs like videos or instant messaging open while you’re doing work. Turn your phone on “Do Not Disturb” mode so that notifications don’t interrupt you. Minimize distractions and create a space that is most rewarding to you. Backup everything you can on your computer. The last thing you want is to lose hours of work, such as typed essays, because of unforeseen computer problems. Keep a Consistent Routine – Before you were taking classes online, did you have a certain time of day that you usually woke up or went to bed? Did you always have breakfast at a certain time? Think of the routine you had in place before and do your best to keep it. Your brain likes routines and breaking the ones you already naturally had could be detrimental to your performance in classes. You may think it’s a good idea to sleep in until 1pm and still get everything done, but it’s not going to produce your best work! Stay in Touch with Your Instructors – Stay connected! Just because you are studying at home online doesn’t mean you are alone. You can always try to find remote tutoring or email your instructor. Take advantage of resources that your school has in place when you need help. Honest effort communicates to your professors that circumstances do not define you as a student. Do not let anything block your goals or vision for the semester. Finish strong! Check your school email and school platform where all of your instructors post assignments. You do not want to miss something! Explore new study outlets – One positive aspect of online courses is the new opportunity to utilize programs like Hawkes Learning to assist you in your classes. The Hawkes Learning online program has a learning module to help you become comfortable in subjects you might be covering in your classes. This section is present to teach you at your own pace. Additionally, there is a “practice” module to refresh your memory on what you have learned. Implementing the knowledge you have gained will assure that you are prepared for what is to come in the final module titled “Certify.” In this section, you will put your studies to the ultimate test. After all three steps of the Recommended Learning Path, class subjects should feel more familiar. Being confident in what you are learning is just as important as intaking the information. Choosing to learn efficiently is the most important step to excelling in your online courses.

Anthony at Butler Community College: In my several years of schooling, I have picked up some good study habits and have learned a few things along the way that have contributed towards my success in getting good grades. I used to perform poorly in math in High School. I felt like I just couldn’t quite understand the concepts taught and that the subject just wasn’t for me and would avoid it at all costs. I used to feel like “I wasn’t a math person.” Fortunately for me, my current school offers math module classes in a 3-course breakdown of 5-week modules, utilizing Hawkes Learning software. I feel like the class structure and some best study practices, as well as Hawkes courseware has helped me to be a successful student and earn A’s in all my math classes since. I will share some of my best study habits that have helped to get me where I am today. Start your studying early – This has been a big adjustment for me, but I have grown to see how it can help make you better prepared for class, and allowing yourself more time for studies and assignments greatly increases your retention of the information and manages your time more effectively to complete assignments on time. In my math module courses, there is a rule that you cannot start the module exam on the last day of class until all your course certifies in Hawkes are completed. This sets the expectation of turning everything in on time, so you need to manage your time wisely. I find that the Hawkes practice test and study guide help to prepare me for my module exam if I am conducting it ahead of time and preparing early. Find a quiet area away from distractions – For me, finding a place I can concentrate and is free of distractions is a major method of allowing me to dedicate my time specifically to my goal in mind. I would recommend putting your phone out of reach and avoiding distracting websites or social media. This way, you can fully concentrate on the task at hand. While I am focusing on my work, I like to go back and double check my missed question to see what I did wrong. I like that Hawkes allows the opportunity to see what you missed in your certification. Allow yourself adequate work time – Give yourself a reasonable amount of time to complete what you are wanting to achieve. Sometimes I will just try to focus on spending a short time (30 minutes to 1 hour) on something that could require a lot more of my time, and then take a short break to reward myself. This way, even if you only have a short amount of time, you still accomplish part of your work and can split it up over periods of time and come back to it if needed. I like to complete my practices for a math module in Hawkes as soon as possible and then try to finish the certifications the next day. This way, you are not overloaded with work and having to complete it all at once. Hopefully, my tips and best practices can help you achieve success in finding what works best for you. Lauren of Christian Brothers University: Stay on task – When studying, it can be so tempting to get off track. From the television to your cellphone, it may seem very challenging to stay focused on the task at hand. Often times when prepping for tests or quizzes, people do not realize how much time they waste. The best route I have found to avoiding wasted study time is to turn off all electronics and set timers for myself. This allows me to put part of my day aside for studying while creating a productive study environment. Take breaks – Learning new information can be tiring. Depending on the amount of information you must learn for your test or quiz, it can feel overwhelming if you do not incorporate break times into your study routine. Your overall performance is best when you are at your best. Therefore, you have to study in a way that will benefit both your mental state and physical state. When setting my study timers, I leave room for a break after my alarm rings. During this time, I stretch, listen to music, or do something else to relax my mind. After my break of a few minutes, I go back to focusing on my studies. Utilize all the resources you have – The great thing about school is that there is always a helping hand to assist you in class. Whether that is your teacher, a tutor, or classmate, you should always feel like you have an outlet to go to when studying. Sometimes students are embarrassed about needing help on a particular subject. It is important to remember that your question might be someone else’s and that school is a learning experience. If you knew everything, you would not need any schooling! Going for help is part of being a good student. Extra study sessions with other people along with individual study time can increase your chances of getting the grade you want. Devote real effort – You should always try to study actively. It is easy to make flashcards and Quizlet’s but the real challenge is honestly knowing the information. Getting an A requires effort and dedication. As a Biology major, a lot of my homework is to simply study. Because of this, I have to understand information and build on it with each class. Finding ways to effectively learn is individual to your learning style. A tip I use is to speak my newly learned information aloud so that it can become ingrained into my head. In result of this, knowing the information like the back of my hand allows taking quizzes/tests to feel effortless. You got this – Negativity has no place in your head when studying. There is no information too complicated that you cannot learn and master. Your mindset controls the efficiency of your study sessions. It is imperative that you tell yourself positive things so that studying will not seem impossible. Although it may be a lot, you are more than capable of achieving excellent grades. Believe in yourself! Alyssa at University of Mississippi: When it comes to studying, it can be really easy to get intimidated and not know where to start. I totally understand this, so to try and help I’ve compiled a list of five tips that I have used throughout my time in school that have definitely worked for me to make studying a bit less daunting. Set up a good space – Throughout my time in college, I’ve done a lot of online courses. One of the biggest things that I quickly noticed when I started trying to work at home was that my typical space wasn’t going to work for me. I kept trying to do my work on my laptop with too many distractions around me. Find some way to change up your environment. For me, I have to clear my desk every time I try to do my schoolwork. If you set up the space around you for success, you already have a great start! Make a list – I have a habit of making a checklist for nearly everything! Before I do anything in the morning, I try to make a list of all of the things I have to get done that day. I also make sure that as I complete these tasks, I cross them off. Visually seeing the list being completed helps me feel more accomplished and motivated to finish the list. This is definitely a strategy that I cling to throughout the semester and especially when it comes time to study for exams. Have some music, but no lyrics! – This one is definitely up to your own preference. Personally, I have never been able to be productive in complete silence. I always have to have some kind of background noise. The key here is to find some kind of music that you can enjoy while still focusing. Whatever you listen to, make sure that it doesn’t have lyrics as it can take your mind away from the things that you are working on, especially if you’re reading! Test yourself (Hawkes can help!) – I always like to have a concrete way to know if I am actually studying properly and retaining the material. For me, this is best learned by using different ways to test myself. This includes flashcards, but Hawkes also has a great tool that can help you to test yourself. You can decide what you are struggling the most with and create your own personalized practice test to help you see what you need to work on and how much more you might need to study prior to an exam. It’s always good to know where you are, and I definitely think that testing yourself is a great way to gauge that. Find what works for you and stick to it – Throughout life, you’re going to be given a million different ways to study. My ultimate best advice to you would be to take in as many tips as you can, try them out, and stick with what has worked best for you. Don’t give up on a new strategy too soon, but know when to give it up if it’s not working for you. I really hope that these tips have been helpful to you and I wish you luck in all of your classes! Chris from Greenville Technical College: To say I had terrible study habits when I was in high school would be inaccurate. I didn’t have any study habits, and as you can imagine, my grades weren’t the best as a result. When I made the decision to go back to school, I knew I needed to buckle down and come up with some good study habits that would get me through school. After a few weeks, I settled into a routine which would lead me to a straight A-record for my first semester of school. The first part of my routine is to have something to eat before beginning on my homework. It might seem like an odd thing to consider as part of studying, but getting hungry while in the middle of working on your homework can be rather distracting. You don’t necessarily need to eat a full course meal before you work, a light snack will also suffice. When deciding on what homework I want to do for the day, I relate the assignments to the classes I have done that same day. By doing the homework once the content has been covered in class, it became easier for me to retain what I had learned that day. Plus getting it done quickly means that I don’t have to worry about forgetting to do the assignments until the very last minute. I don’t rely on just the homework to help me with my learning. I also used flashcards to supplement the homework. I would write out questions, definitions, etc. on one side of a small notecard, and on the other side I would put the answer. Once I had done that, I would shuffle my cards around, and then begin trying to answer as many of them as I could. For each one I got correct, I would put it in one stack. The ones I got wrong were placed in another stack. Once I went through the entire deck, I would go back and go through the stack of wrong cards until they all ended up in the correct pile. Then I would shuffle the deck again, and repeat the process all over again until I ended up with no cards in the ‘Wrong’ deck. The repetition involved with this process helped a lot with memorizing what I needed to know. Finally, Hawkes Learning also features a handy way to prepare for an upcoming test. You can create your own pretest which covers the material you’re expecting to see on your upcoming test. Or if you’re having struggles with certain parts of the lessons, you can also craft a pretest to help you better understand the material in question. Using this system gave me a good way to refresh myself on what I needed to do before I went in to take my math tests. School can seem like a wild beast when it comes to studying. In addition to the amount of homework that must be done for several different classes, students are also expected to spend even more time studying on their own. Combine that with real life responsibilities, and it can be overwhelming. But it is not an untamable beast. With good study habits, getting through school will be as easy as pie. Jacob of Goodwin University: Hello everyone! I believe there are a lot of ways to keep up with your studies and here are some tips that I, myself, use on a day to day basis. When I am feeling stressed, it is always good to take a break! Also, you should utilize that free time you have and think of ideas for what you want in your work when you are not working. Take a day in between long study sessions to go for a walk or a run or do exercise. When you are working you should try leaving your environment. Go to a café or a library to get some quiet studying done. Listening to music can be helpful, but make sure it is at a low enough volume that it is not distracting. Utilize your notes, or else you took them for no reason. Make sure to rewrite your notes after class so you can read them more efficiently! I like to drink tea when I work on long assignments to put my mind at ease. Turning my phone off when I work is another great way to focus. Struggling with procrastination? The best way to beat procrastination is to just do it. If you get stuck on one problem, work on another problem or another project entirely. Do not rush yourself! Start projects early and get easy ones out of the way so you aren’t overwhelmed! Take breaks! After an hour of work, do a bit of exercise or make a snack. Don’t eat a full meal or you may fall asleep when you come back! Only make your breaks five to fifteen minutes or you may get tired and not want to do the project anymore. Do not study late at night! If you study too late your vision may start to get blurry or you may doze off. Instead set a good start time and stick to it when the time comes. Make a schedule for your days and you will not find yourself sleeping so much with nothing to do. If you do make a schedule, make sure to follow it! Highlight important notes! Mark which sections are useful for what questions so you can reference them later! Use different colors for different thoughts! When you go back afterwards you will notice it is much easier to find what you are looking for and will not be as overwhelming. These are all good ways to keep up your grades and focus on your studies! Having a routine is very good for school, because school in and of itself is a routine! The more you practice these routines, the easier it becomes to do them and you will find yourself doing them more frequently and more naturally. I hope everyone makes use of these study tips and starts getting better grades in school! People like others who are intelligent! Kaela at Piedmont College: As a newbie to the college scene, I have learned lots of new things that I think could be very beneficial to new college students like me! My time management has probably improved most over the course of this year and that is directly related to learning how to study! At first, I felt incredibly overwhelmed with sports, work, and classes with homework. A few things I learned to help reduce some of the stress I was feeling were: Keeping up with a Planner School email notifications on my iPhone A mentor My planner has been a major life saver. I take it with me to all my classes so that as my professors assign dates for tests and assignments, I can write them down in my planner right away. I then use different colored pens (writing with a pencil to make different shapes works too!) to label each assignment with their significance according to how time consuming and how soon the due date is. Software that help keep upcoming assignments and test dates organized are incredibly helpful as well. For example, Hawkes Learning would email me in advance to the final due date of when I had assignments due. I never missed an assignment because of my planner and the informational emails that Hawkes Learning would send. It is also super helpful to have the notifications from my school email pop up on my phone. This way, I do not always have to have immediate access to my laptop in order to see necessary emails. Additionally, I highly recommend a mentor. This can vary from a coach, a professor, or a spiritual life leader. I was able seek guidance and advice from them on different scenarios that I encountered. I was very fortunate to have a dedicated coach that strived to help her athletes succeed. I also got involved in campus ministry and the spiritual leaders were consistently there for not only me, but all the students at my college. Candace at University of North Carolina at Charlotte: Practice, practice, practice – Especially in math courses! When I was in high school, and even community college, I was one of the people who did not study very much, but would still get by with As and Bs. I quickly learned that I could not do this in a university though. I did not really know how I studied best because I never had to do it much other than just vocabulary words or something. The first course that I used Hawkes for was last semester and it was College Algebra. Before each test I would log onto Hawkes and practice all of the problems provided at least twice and the type of problems that I struggled with I would do more. I really do think that Hawkes is what helped me be successful in that course because I was able to practice a large amount of problems over and over. I could also learn how to do problems through Hawkes. I am currently using Hawkes for my Business Calculus class and it has helped me to succeed in there so far as well. I pull out my whiteboard and practice problems until I know how to do them. I have also found that I enjoy studying more with a whiteboard also, I just find it more fun than practicing on paper. Find the environment that works best for you. I have found that I cannot work in a completely silent environment. I think the silence is actually a distraction to me, oddly enough. I met my friend in the silent study hall in the library one time and I could not focus. She thought it was funny because she is the complete opposite of me and struggles to focus when there is background noise. Background noise? For some people, background noise is needed to focus. I would rather sit in the library surrounded by people talking. As long as I do not try to listen to the conversations, I am usually focused. I just don’t like to sit in complete silence anytime. Music? I think I study most effectively when I am listening to music with lyrics. Honestly if I am in the library alone studying, I put on headphones and listen to music. It seems to be what keeps me the most focused and I have found that I get more work done that way. Everyone is different though, one of my friends and I always joke with each other because she listens to classical music while studying because lyrics distract her, but I get too relaxed when listening to classical music and don’t work as well. Eventually it makes me want to go to sleep. Sometimes you have to miss out on things with your friends. Your grades with thank you though. In college there is always something that you can be doing with your friends, but grades should come first because that is the main reason you went to college, right? I have had to miss out on things with my friends or showed up late because of homework and studying. It is just important to look at the big picture in the end. Everyone that I know has had to miss something at some point for school.

Photo by Tirachard Kumtanom on Pexels.com Need advice on how to study well? Here are some tips from our Student Ambassadors based on what they’ve found helpful: 1. Start early. Time management is one of the biggest obstacles college students face. Many students are juggling classwork, extracurricular activities, and part-time jobs, leaving little time to focus on studying. The best way to combat this is to start studying early, preferably at least a week before. Studying ahead of time gives you more time to absorb the material and saves you from cramming the night before. 2. Keep a planner. It’s easy to become overwhelmed when you’re swamped with homework, quizzes, essays, exams, and more. Using a planner to write down assignments and due dates is essential to guarantee that you don’t miss any deadlines. Planning out your schedule also allows you to block off time to study in order to hold yourself accountable when the time comes. 3. Practice. Doing practice problems is very effective for studying since you have to apply what you’ve learned to different situations. Practicing can be helpful for any subject, especially in math or science-based classes. Within Hawkes courses, there are plenty of practice questions and the option to create your own practice tests to ensure you know the material. 4. Use flashcards. Flashcards can be a handy tool for studying key terms, concepts, or events. The process of physically making the flashcards and then quizzing yourself with them helps to solidify the information. Colorful flashcards can be helpful for categorizing by subject, topic, or even time period to keep you organized. 5. Find a study group. Study groups can be a great resource, especially for a class you might struggle in. When you have other students to study with, you can share information and fill in any potential gaps in your notes. Study groups are great for collaborating on difficult assignments and to discuss confusing concepts when studying for an exam. 6. Mix it up. It’s good to find a default study space you can always go to for getting work done, but sometimes it can feel like you’re trapped if you stay in the same place for long periods of time. In situations like these, finding a new location to study can be a refreshing change. A park, a coffee shop, or even a different spot in the library can make for an energizing change of scenery to get you back in the right mindset. 7. Reward yourself. Studying for long periods of time often tires students out. One way to prevent this is to take a quick break and walk around or get a snack every now and then. On the other hand, it’s easy to get carried away with a break and quit altogether, so try to set a time limit or maximum number of breaks at the beginning of your study session to stay on track. 8. Ask for help. Never be afraid to ask for help! Your professors want to help you. Take advantage of their office hours so you can learn the material better and improve your relationships with them. Try to ask questions in class as well —chances are, someone else has the same question as you, so you’ll be helping them out too. Have another tip that you didn’t see on the list? Share it in the comments below!

Finals are here! (That statement is exclaimed more in sheer panic than happy excitement.) Around this time of year, finding a good spot to review your materials before heading into that final exam or finishing that paper looming over your head is as difficult as imagining finally being done for the term. Remember to ask yourself a few questions when choosing a study spot: Can I easily get help if I get stuck on a problem or concept I’m studying? Is it quiet and easy for me to concentrate on my work? Am I comfortable here? How far away is this space from where I live? From my next class? From snacks? (That last one is especially important.) What resources are available to me here? Do I have access to whiteboards, computers, books, etc.? We asked two of our Student Ambassadors what their favorite study spots are on their campuses. Take notice of where they choose! We hope you have a similar place to which you can retreat for some last-minute studying. From Kayla at Navarro College: This is the QEP Teams Center, where I work at on Navarro Campus. It’s a place where you can get help with a specific class and use your time to study here. While working here, I’ve had students tell me that their one-on-one time with me has helped them tremendously because I can easily break down each problem with them individually. I also find it useful studying here as well. I am here three to five times a week studying. From Austin at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania: Sometimes finding the right spot on campus to study is a challenge. The perfect spot that I have found for myself, though, is our project room. Located in the same building as the professors’ offices makes it a perfect place for being able to step out of the room and ask your professor a quick question. The project room is also for upperclassmen, so normally it is a quiet place to study away from distractions. With white boards all around the room, it makes it easy to write up ideas or even write out some long problems. Perhaps these favorite study spots from peers have inspired you to find a great place!

Here’s a guest post from UNC Charlotte’s Student Ambassador, Valeria! She provides some study tips during stressful midterms. Take it away, Valeria! Study Tips for College Students from a College Student Valeria Suárez Hey, guys! Here are some study tips that will help you do better in school. Sometimes, it’s good to try new things if you aren’t getting the results you wanted regarding your grades. So, what’s better than trying a few tips below that have worked for others? Probably nothing. Just try them out and see the results: 1. Have study groups! For me, studying with my friends is one of the most helpful things for all my classes because you can help them, and they can help you. It’s a win-win situation, and it’s also fun! 2. BE ORGANIZED. This should be your mantra if you are a college student. Have calendars, a planner, and schedules. Do your best to keep them updated and accurate. 3. Create a study plan. When you feel that your week is too full and you are overwhelmed, write down everything you have to do and all the places you have to be in and make some kind of special schedule for that (or those) week(s). This will help you feel less stressed and will also give you the chance of making sure that you didn’t miss anything! 4. Find your study place. It is hard to study if you are in an environment that doesn’t suit you. Some people study in their rooms, while some people study in the library or in public places. It all depends on where you feel more comfortable/ Once you have found that spot, you will see the difference. 5. Feel confident when you start an exam. Some people say that if you get into that classroom thinking that you will get a score of 100, the probability of actually getting a good grade is higher. 6. Don’t study 10 minutes before the test. It won’t help you because you know what you already know and you won’t learn it 10 minutes before staring the test if you didn’t learned it before. So, prepare yourself to start studying with enough time before your test.

Need some help for midterms? Follow the advice from UNLV’s Student Ambassador, Melanie! She lists some quick tips out below. Study Tips Melanie Arslanian 1. Find a peaceful and quiet place outdoors where you can study and look up on your breaks to enjoy the nature and de-stress. 2. Get healthy bite-sized snacks such as berries, nuts, and/or granola to keep your mind energized during long hours of studying. 3. Turn your cell phone off so you do not get distracted by unnecessary notifications. 4. Take breaks when you are studying and reward yourself. For example, after studying for thirty minutes, take a five-minute break. Do this throughout the day. 5. Try to make mnemonics to help you remember information when you’re studying. For example, a mnemonic device for the colors of the rainbow is Roy G. BIV.