Time for Hot Chocolate and Completed Outlines

The leaves are changing and falling.  For some, the weather is beautiful.  The crisp air makes many want to cuddle up by the fire with hot chocolate and read a fully completed Con Law outline.  Well, maybe not the outline part.

All joking aside, now is the time to evaluate your preparedness for finals.  The semester flew by, and for most, finals are 4-5 weeks away.  You still have classes for 3 weeks, so you don’t get unlimited study time.  Analyzing how prepared you are right now and planning for November is critical.

First, check your reading progress.  Are you still completing all your class readings?  If not, put reading back on your daily schedule.  Your professors will test material from the last few weeks of class.  If my memory is correct, which is debatable, over half of my classes had material on the final exam from the very last day of instruction.  Every day matters, so get back on track reading for each class.

Next, check your outlines.  My advice is to complete outlines before reading week.  I know many students wait until reading week to finish, but reading week is too late.  Working on outlines that week means you aren’t doing practice questions, reviewing the material in depth, or talking with professors about confusing topics.  Reading week is most useful for in-depth preparation, not finishing outlines.

Create a plan to finish outlines before Thanksgiving.  Look at where you are now with outlines and determine how much time you need to get them up to date.  Write down what must happen prior to reading week, which is normally right after Thanksgiving.  A good plan is to have outlines up to date before eating turkey and dressing.  You will be both better prepared and less stressed out while quietly dozing off to the Lion’s game.

Lastly, analyze your progress on practice questions.  Have you completed questions in each of your classes?  Have you completed CALI lessons or multiple choice questions?  Have you sought feedback on your answers?  Make sure to schedule time during November to both write answers and meet with professors for feedback, especially if you haven’t completed questions yet.  Feedback is critical to improvement.  Professors want to meet with students to help them improve.

The semester is almost over.  Now is the time to evaluate where you are and create your plan for November.  Enjoy the weather, crisp air, and completed class outlines.

(Steven Foster)