Jessica’s Blog!

It’s halfway through winter break already, and I’m really bored at the moment. I don’t really feel that productive today and I’m still freaking out over my debate case, so this is going to be short. I went to Hilton Head Island for the first week of winter break. It was actually more fun than last time; I biked, went to the beach, kayaked, and went to Savannah. The highlights of this trip were the pralines and the CARAMEL APPLES. I got to make the caramel apples, and afterwards we melted chocolate and decorated our own apples. It was pretty cool. The pralines were delicious too.

OMG, MY BLOG IS SNOWING SQUARES  black squares with little white dots in them…MY SNOWFLAKES HAVE ARMOR! YAY!

Its so close to the end of the semester, which can only mean two things: winter break…and the dreaded finals week that is sure to strike fear and anxiety in every students’ hearts. I know I will be able to finally take a break from waking up early every day and sitting in a desk for nearly a third of the entire day, but only after I get past finals. Right now, finals hasen’t really hit me yet. I think I should be worried and freaking out according to the rest of the high school population, but I’m not. Right now it still seems like finals are so far away, even though winter break is coming up soon. 

My most difficult subject is probably biology. All that stuff about RNA and codons and translations is already getting on my nerves, and there are so many chapters to memorize and read over. To study for this, I might actually have to spend quite a while, reading over the textbook again and again and do whatever extra credit I can and doing review questions. I might even have to increase my studying to over a day. In every other subject, I can just look over any review questions for a few minutes the day before the final for that area. Orchestra finals will probably be the easiest, because I only have to play some random scales. Following that is health, math, language arts, and french. For these subject areas I will most likely make someone quiz me or go over my notes for at least ten minutes. 

Maybe it’s middle school’s fault, but I’m just not feeling that telltale stress and nervousness that high schoolers get when finals are near. In middle school the finals were very easy, especially the EOCTs for math. However, in high school there is a final in every subject, even orchestra. I know I will eventually have to study, but that can wait until I the weekends. First hand stories from upperclassmen tell me that I should enjoy and make the best of my freshman year, before AP World History comes to destroy us next year D:

Even though the thought of finals has not fully slapped me in the face yet, I think there are several tips that everyone should follow when it comes to finals. They are definitely important, so make sure to get a good night’s sleep instead of staying up all night cramming. Studying can occur right after school and/or in the morning, but not late at night. You don’t want to ruin perfectly good chances of acing a test by falling asleep or nodding off during the exam. The only other really important thing is to eat a complete breakfast, with a lot of carbohydrates suggested. It is definitely not a good idea to take a test with a ravenous stomach distracting you, and possibly embarrassing you in the deathly quiet classroom. I know this from personal experience -.-. Actual studying techniques, I would recommend quizzing a buddy. That way, both students can benefit. Another tried-and-true technique is to read the text over and over, preferably at least 6 times until it is ingrained in your mind forever. This style I understand is used by many AP World students. It may prepare you for what lies ahead in your life and students can remember the text placement as a memory tool for the test. Don’t stress out too much; if you have been doing well, it most likely won’t drop averages. If you have not been doing well, it will most likely raise the overall grade. Finals tend to be easier than the chapter tests because there is a less specific range of information needed.

I can’t believe it, it’s only a few weeks away from finals and the end of the semester!! This first semester of my high school life has been spent staring at piles of homework and stressing out and dying from the mere thought of the huge workloads. For the past 16 weeks, I have been trying to reorganize my mind, trying to find my own pathway to success and adapting to the school environment. Language arts is one of my hardest subjects so far, proven by my epic failing grade in this class, the worst of all my subjects. However, I do believe that it is one of the most useful in life, and this first half of the school year has already taught me so many things. 

The most useful assignment so far has been the synthesis timed writing from the “Friendship” unit. Every timed writing to this day has been useful to me. They have all honed my pacing skills and toned down my extreme nervousness when it comes to writing essays. I have learned to pay attention specifically to the essay prompt and develop quick thinking skills. As a result of so many timed writings, I am now not so stressed out whenever I see “timed” and “writing” or “essay” in the same sentence. I have also acquired an accumulation of generic introductions, conclusions, and transitions in my mind to be brought up and used during the timed writing to save time. Now I am better able to settle into the fast-paced state of mind where I scribble down everything that comes to mind, making revisions as I go. I have even improved my writing speed and handwriting at the same time, all because of the timed writings. Although all of them were useful, the synthesis timed writing was a little more challenging than the rest. Because the examples must come from a variety of sources, I learned to gather information quickly without dying too much. I also learned how to prepare for  a sythesis by rereading sources and making careful notes. Having experienced a synthesis timed writing, I am better equipped for the rest of what high school will throw at me.