Full and part time students are preparing for their upcoming finals as the Fall Semester at Bucks comes to a closing end, some feeling confident, some anxious or both.

Some students expressing feeling great and prepared while there are some feeling anxious and nervous for their finals. Feeling these emotions are considered normal and a common occurrence around those times of the college year.

Though there are some methods of studying that students take and do to prepare for their finals, many suggestions and ideas can differ between students. Some methods can stem from such as studying in the library — a decent quiet place, in a café where some noise can persist, studying with flash cards, a friend or partner to study with and many more methods. Some may prefer all kinds of noise around them, they can prefer utter silence and some may prefer any kind of method.

When asking students what their go to study tips are when preparing for the finals, 19-year-old Bucks student, Grace Hill, said “Chunking and flash cards. Doing even just 15 minutes of studying each day over the course of a couple weeks helps with my recollection better than cramming a couple days in advance. Flash cards are also great. I think they challenge me more to remember answers or definitions than reviewing notes.”

On the other hand, 25-year-old Bucks student, Jane Gonzalez, feels that her best tip for studying is repetition. “I find that writing things by hand helps me retain information better. I write things down multiple times and I repeat the topics that I find harder,” she said.

Finding a quiet place to study or even getting in the zone can be challenging. As you walk around the campus you see students huddled in the study rooms or by themselves in a lounge chair.

19-year-old Bucks student, Gabby Long, prefers to study at home. “I rather study at home than school or a cafe. It’s more calming to study in your own environment,” Long said.

Hill says the opposite. “Cafes are the most helpful to me personally. I feel like if I go out of my way to drive somewhere, I at least have to make the drive worth it and do some studying. It’s a better motivator than when I’m in the comfort of my own home,” she said.

With hours of studying, one might find themselves getting easily distracted. To study effectively many need to understand and know what distracts them and what doesn’t.

When asking Gonzalez, Hill and Long what’s one thing they avoid doing while studying, they all said that they turn off or put away their phones to avoid getting distracted. Gonzalez is aware that if her phone is not put on “do not disturb” her eyes might wander to the screen.

Leaving your phone on “do not disturb” can solve one distraction but there are still plenty to deal with. Some students need complete silence to study while others need background noise. “I enjoy studying with a television show in the background. Just one where I don’t have to pay attention and can just have it there for reassurance,” said Long.

Hill said “Usually with complete silence, but sometimes I use music as well. The music can’t have any lyrics though or I’ll get distracted. It can help stimulate my brain a little bit on days where I’m less motivated than usual. I’ve used this one playlist that has all of the songs from Mario Kart and it has oddly helped a lot when studying or finishing assignments.”

If you’re having difficulties sitting down and studying, try out some of your peer’s suggestions. If it works for them, it might just work for you.