Advice from Sally Seahawk

Advice+from+Sally+Seahawk

Genevieve Guenther

Sally Seahawk, Staff Writer

Q: I have my first round of exams this week and I am nervous because I don’t know how the tests will be formatted. I’m struggling to know how and what to study. How can I prepare for this?

The first set of exams can be a little tough, especially if you haven’t had the professor before. Some professors review the format of the exam the class before the test date. However, if your professor does not do this, do not be afraid to use their office hours. Professors have office hours specifically to help their students and you should take advantage of them. You could ask your professor questions such as how many questions will be on the exam, the point values of the questions and if it will be multiple choice, true or false, short answer, etc. You could also ask them if there is any specific content from the lecture or textbook that is emphasized throughout the exam so that you have an idea of what the key points are and what you should spend the most time studying.

Q: What do I do if my boyfriend and I recently broke up, but we have class together and have to sit beside each other?

Many people will tell you to avoid taking classes with your significant other solely because of this situation. It is possible to do, but can have some risky consequences. After breakups, most exes attempt to avoid each other as much as possible, but being in class together makes this very difficult. I would advise you to handle this in a mature way instead of just changing seats. Talk with him or her about the breakup and just make sure that both of you understand that you will have to see each other; there’s no avoiding it. The more you are both able to talk about the break up in a mature conversation, the easier it will be to see them in class or anywhere around campus. Do not let this impact your schooling by skipping class just so you will not have to see him or her. Continue to attend class and focus on the lecture as much as you can instead of who you are sitting beside. If you still find yourself struggling in class after you have both tried to talk it out, you should consider moving seats and see if that is effective for you.

Q: I’m a freshman this year and I’m struggling with focusing on school because I want to go out and party with my friends. How do I balance these two?

This is a common problem experienced by most college students, especially during freshman year because you want to go out and meet as many new friends as possible and have fun. Time management is crucial in college. Students who find themselves procrastinating on assignments usually end up in one of two situations.  They either become stressed about turning in assignments on time and have to miss out on time with their friends to do school work or they decide not to turn in assignments and go out with their friends anyway. Both of these can be problematic. I recommend setting aside time during the week to complete your assignments so that on the weekends you can do what you want with your friends. An effective way of doing this could be going to the library for an hour after class every day to complete assignments and turn them in. If you need more motivation than that you can reserve a study room in the library so that you have a specific date and time that you need to go to the library to get your work done.