After the Thanksgiving holidays, students will begin to take their final examinations for the fall semester.

This week is the last full week of lectures for the semester, which means that finals week is upon us. Finals week is arguably the most stressful week of the semester. These final exams can determine whether you pass or fail for the semester. For some graduating seniors, it can be the determining factor of whether you receive your degree. As students begin to cram in as much information as possible to ace their exams, here are some helpful tips to utilize.

According to researchers at Dartmouth College, studying material in small chunks will help you to retain more information rather than cramming in all of the material at once. Also, scheduling a designated study time around the time you learned new material is also an effective way for retaining information.

Though music may seem like a good way to relax your mind while preparing for an exam, researchers at the University of Wales Institute discovered that studying in a quiet setting is the most effective environment to study in.

In order to have an effective study session, it is also important to get rid of all distractions while studying. Cell phones, televisions, iPods, gaming systems and even other people can fall in this category. Having these distractions at your reach while attempting to prepare for an exam can be a huge roadblock.

Studying is a unique experience for every student. Everyone has their own way of studying for each of their classes. The places where you study also play a big role on your process. Whether it is with a study group or studying privately, each student has their own personal prefrence as to where they feel most comfortable studying.

Brittany James, sociology sophomore from Harvey, said she prefers to study in the designated studying area of her residence hall.

“The study room in Millet is a good place to study because it is quiet, and I am not tempted to fall asleep,” Brittany said.

“My favorite place to study would be Jazzman’s Café,” Domonic Daniels, freshman from Laplace, said. “I enjoy this place because it is a relaxed environment and the smell of fresh coffee helps me relax.”

Procrastination is the worst thing you can do when preparing for finals. Erica Falgout, mass communication junior from Lockport, believes that the best way to avoid procrastination is to review past notes before your next class begins.

“To keep from procrastinating, review notes from your previous class before the next class,” Erica said. “That way when you study for the exam, the material is still fresh in your memory.”

Just reading over notes can become boring and tedious. Victoria Bourg, accounting senior from Norco, knows from experience that visual aids can be a very useful tool when it comes to studying for an exam.

“Try to engage with more than one sense. When reading, use pictures or examples. It helps the information be retained for a longer term,” Bourg said.