Earlier this week, I was listening to the commencement speech given by President Obama to the Howard University’s Class of ’16 Graduates, and he said one line that truly resonated with me:

“Passion is vital, but you must have a strategy.”

Passion is easy. Our emotions, beliefs, values, and experiences all contribute in one way or another to shape what we are passionate about. Passion is easy, because it is all in our vision. We aspire to be the teachers who inspire students, the firefighters and nurses that save lives, or the future CEO’s who build successful businesses. This is the big picture we visualize and dream about in our minds. This is our passion, and it is absolutely vital when it comes to success.

The challenging part is the strategy aspect of it, which does not mean simply thinking about one big strategy, but rather formulating many different effective strategies. We cannot achieve the big picture without giving consideration to all the small tasks along the way.

So as we all continue studying for finals week, let us keep that passion alive. Let us use the big picture to motivate us, to inspire us to be greater and work harder. Let us also take the extra steps and work to develop and implement the strategies that will allow us to make our vision a reality.

You’ve got the dream, the vision, and the passion…
Now what are some strategies to get ready for finals?

• Jot down all the times and locations of EACH exam:
  Put it in your planner, your computer, your phone, or whichever method words best personally. You will be surprised how easily it slips the minds of busy students.

• Organize study materials:
  Instead of scrambling to find notes at the last minute, take a few moments to organize any notes, readings, and any other study material for each class.

• Allocate time slots to have specific study sessions for each class:
  Just thinking to yourself that you have to study for Class A at some point and study for Class B sometime before you have to study for Class C as long as it’s after the exam for Class D… can get a little confusing, needless to say. Dedicate specific times you will study for each class, and it will make you more likely to stick to the schedule and study for each class accordingly.

• Study in blocks of time:
  50 minutes of studying with a 10-minute break has been considered to be the most effective. So study hard during the designated study times while minimizing any distractions, take breaks after long periods of studying, and most importantly, keep a positive mentality!

Good luck everyone! 🙂