By Brandy Voirin/reporter
Final exams are here.
While some students are torn between which study tactics to apply, others have aced through some of the most challenging courses this semester with one simple secret weapon — they studied.
Collegian file photo
NE student Kasie Moffett, a mother of two and former serial class dropper, has breezed through countless tests and weekly quizzes from NE physical sciences instructor Dale Johnson scoring over 100 points many times, but things weren’t always this way.
“I’ve been in college for nine or 10 years, and I never studied,” Moffett said. “But one day, I decided to try preparing for class, and it was the best plan ever.”
Exactly three weeks before final exams, she starts her study battle plan, rewriting lecture notes, reading chapters and making flash cards.
“As I read the material, I memorize it,” she said.
Moffett plans to earn her associate degree by fall in hopes of pursuing her dream of becoming a Texas history teacher. She cautions students never to give up.
“Acing exams can be done with lots and lots of preparation,” she said.
Failure has never been an option for student Christopher Nettleton, so a month before finals he starts preparing for war.
“Final exams are easy,” he said. “It’s all in how you prepare.
Nettleton, a senior with his eyes on the military, never puts studying off until the last minute. He has achieved mostly A’s and B’s his entire college career by going though his class reviews and dissecting the definitions.
“You can’t pass if you don’t understand the meaning of the words,” Nettleton said. “As the exam draws closer, I add two to three new words a day to my study list, and then I add three to four new things optimizing my learning power.”
NE dental assistant student Alona Griffin’s winning combo for finishing strong this semester was studying, sleeping and repeating.
“I went to bed four hours earlier than normal,” she said. “Plus reading the book every night for two weeks allowed me to be successful.”
Griffin also has a job and said the dental assistant program is intense but doable if one has priorities in line.
“I’ve attended other community colleges before, but my goal with TCC was to get in and get out,” Griffin said. “I’ve been preparing for this moment my whole life, and now I’m preparing for graduation because I studied.”
