Volume 6
Issue 2
Bringing You the Ursuline Academy News IN THIS ISSUE STUDY TIPS FOR EXAMS AND THE BEST PLACES TO STUDY PG. 1 THE PHYSICAL TOLL OF EXAM STRESS AND WHAT TO EAT AND WHAT NOT TO EAT BEFORE EXAMS PG. 2 HOW FACEBOOK CAN AFFECT YOUR EXAM GRADE PG. 3
Three Helpful Tips to Success on Exams Everyone has their own different methods of studying. Some some games groups.
use flashcards; prefer study or studying in
No matter how one chooses to study, there are three important study tips that everyone needs to use when it comes to exams.
Don’t throw that away! Don’t throw old quizzes, tests or homework assignments away. If given a comprehensive exam, the chances are very high that a question on the exam lies within a paper that you already have. Many teachers’ exams consist of questions from old quizzes and tests, just worded differently. Keeping homework assignments in math class is very important since their problems can be used for practice. Give extra attention to the homework assignments that you didn’t do so well, and maybe re-do the assignment until you can get it right. This is why it is so important to do homework every night even for teachers that don’t collect it. You need all the practice you can get, and doing math problems every night prepares you for the exam more and more each time. Reading Day is important! Because reading day is optional, teachers give great rewards for students who come to reading day! They
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might provide the essay questions that will be on the exam or the answer key for an old test. When given the essay questions ahead of time, you can walk into the classroom the day of the exam with an idea of what you will write. This will take away a lot of test anxiety and save time so there is no need to rush while taking the exam. Answer keys for old tests are very helpful, too! When given an answer key for an old test, make flashcards or a study guide out of old tests, and re-test yourself until you get all the questions right. D o n ’ t C r a m ! Do not wait until the night before the exam to start studying. A lot of people fear that if they start studying too early, then they will forget information. But, studying a little each day leading up to the exam will embed the information in your brain, and you’ll be saying it in your sleep! Repetition is a great study technique, and after studying the same material over and over for a certain number of days, you’ll become so used to studying it that you’ll be able to answer questions without hesitation! There’s nothing wrong with reviewing exam material an hour before the exam; just make sure the night before the exam isn’t the first time you’re reviewing it! Kimie Leach Bear Facts Writer
Have Yourself a Merry Place to Study Want to study in a warm, comfortable place with comfy chairs? What about a place that has free Wi-Fi, warm hot chocolate or your favorite coffee, mocha, or frappe? Are you tired of being in a school setting with rock hard desks and an old musty smell? Ursuline is in a great community with several places around for studying. There are many places around Ursuline for students to study for exams. Many of these places provide free Wi-Fi, coffee, smoothies and treats. Kirkwood is known for having many places just around the corner of UA with a casual setting, reasonably priced goods and lots of space for studying. A favorite to many, Bread Co. is just down the road. Bread Co. provides free Wi-Fi, coffee and treats, and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. Kaldi’s Coffee, Starbucks and McDonalds are all in downtown Kirkwood. They all serve coffee, have treats, play background music and have free Wi-Fi. All of these places have plenty of space so it is great for study groups, which is an excellent way to prepare for exams. Also, if these places are too distracting because of people talking or the clinking of plates and silverware, students said they go to the St. Louis County Libraries. Libraries are supposed to be quiet, and students who prefer a quiet study can go there. There are several county libraries nearby and they provide useful resources such as computers. People who crave a cozy ambiance yet need the action that a bustling store provides, try Barnes and Noble or Borders. Both bookstores have little coffee shops, which provide treats and Wi-Fi. For students who do not have a car or cannot get to one of these places, the best place is home. At home, there is the comfort of a bed with warm blankets or a desk for support, food such as fresh baked cookies, music from an iPod playing your favorite set list, or pets. Olivia Cunio, junior, exclaimed, “I like studying in my room with my dog.” Freshman Mackenzie Lee also likes to study in her room. She said, “I have to have music in the background in my room and nobody can be around.” Freshmen Josie Knesel and Natalie Gilstrap do not study in their room, but they study in the heart of the house where all members of the family visits. They both agree with Mackenzie, that the room has to be quiet with nobody around and music in the background. They said they could not study at Bread Co. because it can be loud and they cannot eat while studying. Whether students prefer a quiet place to study or a place that has some noise, there are many places to go. Students should feel comfortable wherever they go and find places that will help them study. Good luck on the exams! Sarah Haenchen Bear Facts Writer
December
THE UGLY SIDE OF STRESS: THE PHYSICAL TOLL Exams--the mere mention of the word strikes fear in many students. As Ursuline prepares for the close of the first semester, students and teachers ready themselves for winter exams. With this new work load of studying comes stress, lots of it. Last minute projects, papers and extra assignments are familiar aspects of student life around this time of year. All of these things add to the growing mound of pressure students are forced to endure around exams; from allnight study secessions to figuring out how it’s humanly possible to finish three different projects within a week. It is a common myth that stress is expressed just as an emotional or mental state. If someone believes she is stressed because of what she must get done, then it’s really nothing to worry about. Wrong! Stress is also physi. “Making my cal. In routine Quick Trip runs is how I today’s manage my stress. Without it, I modern wouldn’t be standing here,” said w o r l d stress is a junior Erica Miller, laughing. daily occurrence. With deadlines, frustrations, petty drama and family issues, it’s normal to be a little frazzled from time to time. However, constantly running on high alert can take a toll on the human body, “It is believed that more than 50% of all visits to doctors are initially caused by stress,” reported Web site Stress Management for Health. “Everyone deals with stress differently, but it’s up to the individual to decide how to safely manage it.”
Common serious side effects that are associated with large amounts of stress are high blood pressure, skin rashes, stomach pain and repository problems as Stress Management for Health stated. “Stress” by definition is how our bodies react to change. This causes the heart to pump faster and blood pressure to rise. These effects can lead to panic attacks, heart attacks and even death. “Studies have shown that excessive stress during the teen years can have a negative impact upon both physical and mental health later in life. Teen stress is a risk factor for the development of depression, a serious condition that carries an increased risk of suicide,” said Melissa Conrad Stoppler, medical professional and writer for Web MD. There’s good stress and bad stress. Stress can be good when trying to get things accomplished like a big project. As shown, stress also has its down side. Being too stressed can make the body physically sick. It’s all about how you handle it. “When I’m really stressed, I like to watch reruns of my favorite tv series, Gossip Girl. It lets me unwind for at least a little while,” said senior Margret O’ Brien. Declaring that exams are a stressful time is an understatement, but the key to surviving is knowing how to handle it. Meghan Schmitt Bears Facts Staff
FOOD FOR THOUGHT The norm al morning for an Ursuline student may be to wake up get ready, grab a cup of coffee and head to school, but with exams coming up, some routines are beginning to change. One that may help to score a couple points higher is changing the morning diet. Certain foods have been shown to help students score better on test. So to help score those extra points
here are the do’s and don’ts of pre-exam snacks. Although coffee may seem like the best choice to stay awake, the milk or amount of sugar in it can cause you to be sluggish not long after drinking it. Instead try a glass of fruit juice, these will get the brain working without the crash caused by caffeine. As far as food goes, try to avoid any-
thing that contains a high amount of sugar. Things like donuts and cinnamon rolls are not the best choice. Try something with nutrients and fiber like bran cereal, or a grapefruit. Eating right is not a guaranteed A for every exam, but it will help make it easier concentrate and maybe bump up a few points. Avoid all of those sugar filled treats and stick to the healthy energizing foods, you are sure to stay full and focused on exams.
JOSIE’S ART MISSING
Josie Ruggeri Bear Facts Staff
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STOP! COULD FACEBOOK BE AFFECTING YOU? Exam week is one of the most stressful weeks of the year. Many teens take mini breaks throughout the days from studying and go on social networking sites such as Facebook. However, studies have shown that grades
are significantly lower than those who do not give in to Facebook. In a study that was conducted among students ages 19 to 24, exam grades were 20% lower than those who weren’t multitasking. One of the major problems Professor Paul Kirschner suggests is that, “People have Facebook constantly running in the background while they carry on other tasks.” He also added, “ While many think constant task-switching allows them to get more
done in less time, in reality, it extends the amount of time needed to carry out tasks and leads to more mistakes.” Those who used Facebook while studying had an average grade point average of 3.05, while those non-users had an average of 3.82. Once getting on Facebook, it’s hard to get off. When asked why she thought Facebook was so addicting, sophomore Caroline Baker responded, “It’s the easiest way to stay connected with people and once you start talking to someone, you start talking to another person and when you look at the clock it’s been two hours.” Before just checking your account for a few minutes, think about the affects it could have on this week. Maggie Eggleston Bear Facts Writer
FRESHMEN, FRESHMEN, ARE YOU READY? Which exam is actually the hardest? You’ve heard about the dreaded exam week, and Bear Facts is here to report which departments, in the opinion of the students, have the hardest exams. 100 students were surveyed, and the graph on the right shows their responses.
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