Piles of papers, projects, journals, and tests are forming and reaching new heights and competing with stress levels for the majority of students at Concordia College.  We see this time twice a year, but somehow the frustration and anguish always seem to swarm students and interfere with their capability to perform to the best of their ability and remain healthy. Without preparation skills and self-knowledge finals week and the preceding days can destroy not only a student’s social life but also their mental and physical well-being.

So how can one form those sanity-saving preparation skills and self-knowledge?  The self-knowledge is probably the most important of the two because it will help you identify which preparation skills you need.  How do you learn information best?  By writing it? Reading it? Maybe even by summarizing information and explaining it to others.  A lot of people find that last one to be most helpful because it encourages them to put it into words and a sequence that makes most sense to them making it less likely to be easily forgotten.

Some students prefer making note cards or flashcards and some have realized that they do better just doing an outline.  Look back at your academic career and figure out what method has best helped you retain information. Is it easier for you to just read through the outline again and again or do you do better quizzing yourself with the note cards?

Also, try to discover whether you work best solo or in a group.  Groups can be extremely helpful in some cases. If you don’t understand part of the material, there is another student to explain it to you.  You can cover a broader portion at once.  But, along with being in groups comes more distraction.  As young adults, we are in a very social period of our lives.  If you are someone that is going to put talking and joking high above productivity, opt to find a place for just yourself and your nice pile of books and notes – because those may be your companions for a few hours or even days.

Lastly, it may be helpful to use a tactic called “chunking.”  I first learned about chunking in my psychology class my freshman year of college. The basic concept is to break down what you need to learn into manageable pieces.  It implies that the human brain best understands information when there are only five to nine pieces introduced at a time. Don’t try to learn everything that is going to be on the test at once.  Take your time to break it down.  Study for a certain amount of time and take 10 or 15 minute break.  Repeat.  It’s also been proven that music stimulates the brain, so if you are someone who can focus with background noise, try this.  If you have a little more trouble with a lot of noise while you are studying, either try music that is simply instrumental with no vocals, or stick with no music. Michael Griffin explains it further in Learning about Learning.

When it comes to studying don’t feel like you need to study exactly how your A+ roommate does.  Sure, they may do well by studying in groups while listening to music and looking at an outline, but that doesn’t mean your brain will intake information best that same one.  So take a few minutes to figure out what works best to you and you will save yourself from a lot of stress this finals season.

For more study suggestions, take a look at this page.

“Santa cutie, and fill my stocking with a duplex, and checks, sign your ‘X’ on the line.” Oh, but Santa baby, Marilyn Monroe, and just about everyone else nowadays, wants more, more, more.  Just when did Christmas lose the true reason for the season?  Now, I don’t think that everyone needs to believe in Christ.  Each person has the right to his or her individual thoughts and beliefs.  But why must we change a celebration of Christ’s birth into a celebration of receiving material goods?  Granted, some enjoy giving, but whether or not they admit it, the majority finds the most pleasure in opening up those holiday gifts. This video helped open my eyes to how much the Christmas season has turned to material presents instead of the presence of Christ.

Of course, it would be horrible to get rid of the holiday cheer that comes along with this season of consumerism.  Albeit, I’d like to think the holiday cheer would remain even if the purchases were toned down a little bit.  But I don’t think it should be associated with religion.  Yes, Jesus was showered with gold, frankincense and myrrh, which shows that it can be a season of giving. However, in my mind it makes more sense to celebrate by giving non-materialistic gifts.  One of the best gifts I feel like one could give over the season is the gift of love.  It doesn’t have to be romantic love or the kind of love you have for your family.  Even showing compassion or love for a stranger by opening a door, picking up something they dropped, etc, could mean more than you realize.

The gift of time is also a great thing to give.  Think of how busy we are in our day-to-day lives.  It isn’t often that we stop to truly listen to someone and let them know we are here for them.  If you want to step up that gift, give your time together and help out at a food shelter, animal shelter, or any other place that takes volunteers.  It is a great way to see your loved ones and bond while helping others.

If you are searching for other ways to give something non-material there are numerous articles and suggestions online, like this page. And, if you do happen to be a Christian, make sure to realize why this day exists and celebrate His presence… with or without the presents.

College is filled with ups and downs.  Great times with friends. Twenty-five page papers. Spontaneous excursions. Tiring all-night study sessions.  But unfortunately some students don’t seem to believe that the ups outweigh the downs and they decide to take irreversible action.  According to Suicide.org, a nonprofit organization for awareness, prevention, and support, suicide ranks second in the leading cause of deaths among college students.  And what’s even scarier is that the majority of people who attempt suicide don’t die – which makes me think that if all attempts were “successful” (in the denotative sense)  suicide could easily move into the number one cause of death. So why isn’t this a more prominent topic?  Why are so many people unaware that it is even a problem?

It didn’t even occur to me until earlier this week, when a friend of mine decided to take his own life.  I was heartbroken.  Not only because of the pain of losing him, but because of realizing how much anguish he endured while everyone stood by, unaware.  I sought condolence in my friends and it seemed like every other one said the same thing: “I had a friend who committed suicide, too.”  It’s time that we become aware of the warning signs and do something to decrease the number of students who feel that suicide is their only escape.

In addition to learning about the warning signs we must learn to listen.  Knowing the warning signs will do no good if we are not actively trying to be aware of them.  In the following YouTube video about college suicide it is shocking and upsetting to realize how many of the students who took their lives tried reaching out to people.

Long Way Home: Real Stories of College Suicide and Those Left Behind

If you or anyone you know is exhibiting the warning signs of depression or contemplating suicide do not shrug it off.  Call a friend. See a doctor. Or reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.