Students across College of the Desert are preparing for finals week, a time often associated with increased stress and anxiety. As deadlines and exams approach, many students are turning to study strategies and personal routines to help manage the pressure.
To learn more about how students cope with finals season, The Chaparral spoke with three COD students: one taking primarily in-person classes, one enrolled fully online and a recent graduate. Each shared different perspectives on studying and handling academic stress.
Students were asked the following question:
What study techniques or strategies have helped you most in the past? An additional question was included for the graduate student, who completed courses entirely online.
For the first question, Alejandro Garcia, a STEM student at College of the Desert who takes primarily in-person courses, shared his study strategy.
“A technique that has always helped me study is listening to repetitive, nonvocal music,” Garcia said. “It works almost like white noise, where part of my brain is being stimulated without being distracted. Also, that one problem you are absolutely sure won’t be on the exam will always be there and cost you a letter grade. Just learn it and save yourself the pain.”
Students taking online courses also offered their own perspectives. Lizette Gutierrez, a child development major at COD, said reviewing notes and using flashcards helps her prepare for exams.
“Definitely taking notes for each chapter and reviewing them before the final exam helps me,” Gutierrez said. “Writing flashcards also helps.”
Lastly, a recent graduate offered her own perspective. Mia Garcia, an art major now attending California State University, Fullerton, shared the study habits that helped her succeed.
“The study techniques I use aren’t anything new,” Garcia said. “What worked for me was reading and writing down key course material relevant to the topic. Keeping organized study notes, whether color-coded or with bullet points, helped a lot, especially when I wrote them down. Keeping the notes summarized also helped me remember difficult material.”
All three students also credited College of the Desert for providing resources that helped support them during finals season.
Garcia specifically highlighted the impact of Extended Opportunity Programs and Services, commonly known as EOPS.
“The biggest resource that helped me was EOPS,” Garcia said. “The tutors were peers and teachers alike. I was lucky enough to be tutored by patient and smart individuals who talked me through problems without directly giving me the answers, allowing me to solve them myself. I recommend it for anyone, especially students who are financially struggling or feeling overwhelmed by college.”
As finals season continues, students interviewed for this story emphasized the importance of staying organized, using campus resources and finding study techniques that work best for them.
