With the holiday season around the corner, studying for finals can take a back seat to travel plans, gift hunting and cookie decorating.

“Schedule your study time,” said Sharon McGuire, director of the Academic Success Center. “Eat complex carbohydrates, such as peanuts, and stay away from caffeine and sugar.”

She said there are a lot of distractions during Dead Week that can pull a person away from studying, but if students plan out the week and stick to it, they will not miss a test.

“Sometimes students study really hard on the first final, wearing themselves down for the rest of their tests,” McGuire said.

Linden Hall Director Amy Roozenboom said the residence department stresses 23 hours of quiet study time during Dead Week to provide a good study atmosphere.

McGuire said reviewing notes over and over again will not really help students to do their best because the majority of what people see is lost within 24 hours.

“You should study in such a way that will represent the test,” McGuire said.

She said to simply hear information is the lowest level of understanding.

But if students can teach it to someone else, the concept has been grasped.

She said flash cards are a great way to learn vocabulary words and definitions.

For students whose semesters have been dominated with skipped classes and late-night partying, McGuire said the best thing to do is go and talk to the professor, even though it may not be easy.

“Talk to your professor if you are having problems,” she said. “It may be hard to do, but it can be done via e-mail or get with a classmate and write an outline of information in the class.”

Roozenboom said study breaks are enhanced with social activities in the dorms.

“I would say that it is very important that you get sleep, eat well, take care of yourself, take breaks and talk to advisers if you have problems,” she said.

McGuire said it is important to relax before going into the test.

She said studying right before a test may make you anxious and tense for the test.

“Definitely go in with an, ‘I can do it’ attitude,” she said.

She said for new student or students who just didn’t do well this semester, there is always the spring semester.

She suggested taking a study methods class, Psychology 131, a one-credit course offered in the spring semester.