LSU students are a diverse group. They come from all over the globe with different dreams, goals and aspirations for their respective futures. Here is a chance to get to know some of them as they share their secrets for surviving finals week. No matter his or her academic discipline, everyone has a story to tell … including you!
Gregory Davis Jr.
Elementary Education
Sophomore
Study habits for finals:
“After I had taken my fourth or fifth exam and a final exam was coming up, I would study at that time for at least an hour. Right after class, I’d pull out what we did and read. By the time final exams came, instead of cramming like everyone else, I would just review the material.”
Favorite place to study:
“I go to the Pentagon Activity Center and close myself in a study room there. I can’t go to my room because I’ll go to sleep. I’ve gotten comfortable studying around people. It helps me concentrate more.”
Advice for freshmen:
“If your exam is cumulative, you should start reviewing now what was on the first test. Review the tests and see what you got wrong. Take some time and read your notes. It will come naturally. Don’t procrastinate, and budget your time wisely.”
Finals horror story:
“During my first finals week, I had gone back to see my high school play in the state championship … I came back that night, and there was this girl I didn’t know if I was going to see again, so I ended up going over by her, and we stayed up and (hung out). I woke up and turned off my alarm unconsciously. But then I realized I had to be at the exam and I had only 5 minutes before it started. (My professor) wasn’t going to let anyone in after the time. So I ran out the door without even brushing my teeth. I made it in time.”
Eric Couto
English
Senior
Go-to study snacks:
“I eat fish and chocolate; a lot of salmon, tilapia and dark chocolate. When I was in the fourth grade, one of our teachers told us dark chocolate would increase brain activity, so she gave it to us during the LEAP test.”
Favorite place to study:
“It’s close to the Belle (of Baton Rouge) Casino. There’s an open area around there and it’s like a port. You can see the river, the bridge; you can hear the cars; and it’s very serene and peaceful. It’s on the riverfront. But you have to walk a little to get to it. You can’t study at home because you’ll get too comfortable or you’ll never get anything done.”
Study habits for finals:
“When studying for finals, whether the test is cumulative or not, I like to go back, look at the old information and tie it in to the new information. If you bring back an old concept and tie it in to a new concept to talk about the course, they love that. The day of, two hours before the exam, just relax. When you get into the test, you can’t constantly think about it or else you’ll send your brain into a wave of panic.”
Advice to freshmen:
“Do not panic. If you haven’t prepared well, read the test for clues. If it’s a multiple-choice test, the test will give you some sort of background information that, if you pay attention in class, it should be familiar to you. If it’s a comprehension question, look at the other questions on the test and they may help you generate a type of image or something from an earlier concept. Let the test work for you.”
Sophia Fiorella
Pre-Art
Freshman
Go-to study snacks:
“I eat finger foods, like baby carrots and dipping sauce, hummus. It’s cheap. It’s easier to do other things and eat at the same time. It’s not messy.”
Study habits for finals:
“I make flash cards and outline. I have art history, so I have like 50 to 100 flash cards. Outlining helps me put the information into my own words so I can make connections with real life things.”
Angela Causey
Undecided Science/Engineering
Freshman
Go-to study snacks:
“I take fish oil pills, but I just eat the same, basically consisting of avoiding junk food and eating lots of fruit. My meals are very consistent. In general junk food is bad.”
Favorite place to study:
“I always study in the Quad. I would study in the park during high school, so this is like my area. It’s calm and very relaxing. There are a lot of people walking through, but it’s not too loud.”
Study habits for finals:
“When I first started, they were very bad. I was just going off of memorization. But then I found out that I was a kinesthetic learner. I went to the CAS (Center for Academic Success) and they told me to start applying what I learn. I had to make up my own scenarios and link those concepts. I had to change my way of studying from high school and get it together for the university level. If you see me studying, you’d see me tapping on my legs or moving around a lot. That’s how I learn. I’d probably make a song out of it; get into the groove of it.”
Advice to freshmen:
“I would recommend that freshmen do come here (CAS) to figure out their study habits. A lot of people have that same mindset that if they do bad on the first exam, they can do better on the second one. And when they don’t (do better) on the second, they’re disappointed. When I didn’t do well on the second exam, I was like, ‘there’s something that I’m not doing.’ So I made an appointment with them (CAS) and on the next test, my grades went up.”
Amber Soileau
Kinesiology
Freshman
Favorite place to study:
“I like the third floor of the library. It’s so quiet, and you can sit there and focus. You don’t have to worry about distractions. And in my dorm, I live in Acadian, they have a quiet room.”
Study habits for finals:
“In high school, I studied an hour before the test and got straight As. Here I would study like two days in advance, but I found out you can’t really do that.”
Advice to freshmen:
“You need to (study) in intervals throughout the week.”
Christopher Baron-Hyppolite
Civil Engineering
Junior
Go-to study snacks:
“Big bag of Lay’s potato chips and double-stuffed fudge Keebler elves cookies. It’s my comfort food and I like to snack while I study.”
Study habits for finals:
“I break it down and schedule the times I need to study. I switch it up so I don’t get bored with any one subject.”
Advice to freshmen:
“Have an agenda when you want to study with set goals.”
Sarah Rodriguez
International Studies
Junior
Go-to study snacks:
“Lots of coffee, at least six cups a day. It keeps me awake and energized.”
Favorite place to study:
“I go to PJ’s off campus or Highland Coffees by Chimes Street.”
Study habits for finals:
“I like to rewrite my notes. The repetition helps me. I read aloud a lot, so sometimes I need to study in my room instead. It’s usually a week before that I start cracking down and start studying a lot.”
Finals horror story:
“Freshman year, I missed my math final. I think it was a math lab and I signed up for a time but forgot about it and missed it. They were really nice to me and let me take it again because I was a freshman.”
Thomas Coenen
Petroleum Engineering
Sophomore
Go-to study snacks:
“I love the snack combos that you get from the gas station, Pringles, ramen, anything and everything. Chicken, too, in any form.”
Advice to freshmen:
“Study groups are helpful because they usually know something you don’t know or you know something they don’t know. Study ahead of time and try not to go out. It will pay off in the end. Also, do not take the bus during finals week. Don’t trust the bus.”
Megan Serpas
Pre-Human Sciences & Education
Junior
Go-to study snacks:
“Blue Airheads, gum and apples, they just keep me going.”
Study habits for finals:
“I make charts with different colors. It gets really intense.”
Advice to freshmen:
“Make sure you have a good standing in your class before finals. Talk to your professors during office hours, like when you do bad on a test or when you don’t do as well as you’d like, talking to your professors and explaining how you want to know how to do better really helps.”
Finals horror story:
“Last semester, I had a biology final. I forgot my ID 10 minutes before the test. I was five minutes late to it, but thank God (the professor) let me in. Definitely remember to bring your ID and extra pencils. And extra batteries for your calculator.”
Vishal Patel
General Business
Freshman
Go-to study snacks:
“Vitamin-rich foods, like salads and fruit, and a lot of water to keep you hydrated. It helps you focus on what you’re studying.”
Study habits for finals:
“I prefer studying in the study rooms in my dorm. You can run into people studying the same stuff as you so you can talk to them and get a better grasp on the subject.”
Hung Nguyen
Pre-Architecture
Sophomore
Go-to study snacks:
“As an architecture student, I tend to disregard my health.”
Favorite place to study:
“The architecture studio is the craziest place I’ve studied. We spend at least 10 hours there but we only get two hours of work done. The rest of the time is spent procrastinating, socializing, coming up with stupid ideas and finding out four hours later that they don’t even work.”
Study habits for finals:
“For architecture, we have to give a presentation as our final grade. I just talk a lot in front of a mirror to practice for my presentation. It’s usually on our process for what we’ve done with our projects. I write it down, but it’s strictly a guideline.”
Advice to freshmen:
“Try Google, Youtube or any other resources. [Professors] are not here to hold your hand.”
Finals horror story:
“I pulled an all-nighter, wrote my name down and then my mind went blank. I had an hour to pull it together and try to take the exam. Don’t pull an all-nighte
