This week, the PCDS Upper School and students across the nation have been preparing and taking final exams. With over 90% of the student body having five or more finals (including projects/papers), PCDS students harnessed their best study strategies in preparation for the last days of the fall semester.
A survey of 80 Upper School students showed that on a scale from one to ten, one being no stress and ten being extremely stressed, 25% of students put themselves at ten. Furthermore, 74% of students claimed that out of all courses, either science or math finals caused them the most stress.
Sophomore Adeline Ward said that she placed herself at a seven or eight out of ten with regard to her stress levels. Given that she is a procrastinator, the high number is not surprising.
“[Procrastination] is not the best thing, but it has worked for me thus far, and I also get things done with quality. So, although it might be really stressful at the moment, I feel like the pressure makes me work better,” she adds.
However, she has tactics to prevent breaking the stress scale. She said, “I like to prioritize self-care, like baking cookies every once in a while or going to sleep early when I need to.” Little things like Diet Coke with a lime or a sweet treat after a few math problems motivate her.
While studying, Adeline listens to coffee shop sounds, but when she really needs to focus, she opts for high-frequency sounds on Spotify. Out of the danger of falling asleep, she avoids her bed and prefers being in her living room. She comments, “I feel like I study well when there’s background noise. Not background noise that I’m interested in, but just things that are going on.”
Senior Jiya Mutyala said that she was a six or seven on the stress scale, and that the subject that caused the number to increase was calculus. She said, “Calculus has not been my strong subject, so I’m a little stressed for it, but it should be okay.”
She explained, “I find that writing stuff with a pen, not with a computer, really helps me. So, if it’s something I don’t know, if it’s a math fact I have to know, I’ll look at it and then just keep writing it and writing it and writing it until I can write it for memory perfectly. And also, it’s a Speech and Debate tactic, but I’ll pace around the room; I just do laps saying things over and over until I can say it without looking at the paper.”
For a study break, Jiya chooses puzzles. She said, “There’s one in my kitchen, so I’ll take a 15 minute break if I just need some time away from math, do a puzzle, and then go back.”
Like Adeline, Jiya also enjoys listening to music while studying, but not classical music, which is commonly recommended. Instead, she listens to whatever artists she likes right now; right now, it’s Kendrick Lamar’s new album, GNX.
Going into finals week, Sophomore Reid Umar said that he was a five or six out of ten on the stress scale. There’s no sugarcoating it: “I procrastinate…not as bad as it used to be, but I used to do assignments two hours before a deadline, and now it’s, like, the night before. But for finals, I’m studying for a few weeks before, so that’s good,” he said. Despite his procrastination tendencies, he feels like he is more prepared than he was last year as a freshman.
Often listening to house music or chill hip hop, Reid sets a timer for 30 minutes to an hour, does work during that time, takes a quick 15 minute break, and gets back to it.
As the semester comes to a close, Upper School students have been working extremely hard to end their classes on a good note with their final exams. Next semester, if you are looking for new study habits, test out any of these three students’ techniques and see how they work for you.
Happy Winter Break!
