With the crisp, cold air rolling in, and holiday lights illuminating the streets, it is evident that finals are quickly approaching. Traditionally, students have studied for finals using notecards, rote memorization, or wordplay. These methods are tried-and-true, and are still very much a favorite method amongst students.

“I generally just look over my notes from class. I study every night for about a week before the big day. Sometimes I use flashcards- I really like Quizlet,” Senior Riley McCall said.

Quizlet is a website in which students can create flashcards to study from, and in more ways than one. There are  options for a simple flip from front to back, a matching game, or a practice test. Teachers can create quizlets for entire classes to study from, and in those cases, competition can arise.

“Quizlet is really nice because it’s competitive. You want to win, so that helps you learn the information, because you need to get answers right to win,” Senior Ethan Nichols said.

Some students have more unique ways of studying, though, such as senior Katie Nelson.

“I have a finals binder with tabs for each class and put everything in it that I will use to study- vocab lists, study guides, review sheets, etc. I do this so I don’t have to carry around a backpack full of folders. It literally takes the weight of finals off your shoulders,” Nelson said.

In addition to creating an entire binder just for finals, she also stresses the benefits of lavender. Lavender is known to have soothing properties; she diffuses lavender oil in her room while studying and then puts a few drops on her pillow and blanket. Before going to sleep, she also rubs a few drops into her feet (a part of the body that absorbs materials the fastest.

“That way when I wake up in the morning I feel refreshed and stress-free,” Nelson said.

Junior Noah Ford takes a more straight-forward, visual approach to studying for finals.

“I love highlighters and color-coding different things for different aspects. Like, in history, making political things pink, economic things yellow, and religious things green,” Ford said.

Besides color-coding his notes with highlighters, he takes studying a step further by laminating his notes so he can study anywhere, anytime- like the shower.

“You’re going to be standing there [in the shower] so why not utilize that time? I would just be singing pop songs, OR I could be highlighting and studying my APUSH notes whilst shampooing my hair,” Ford said.

While some students have specific ways they like to study, it is important to note that not every method will work for every student. It’s important for students to find out what works for them and not worry about what works for someone else. Plus, after the storm comes a rainbow- the holidays are here right after finals are over and time can be spent relaxing.