Interview and Tips from Board Chair of SASS, Adora Gao
Pixel Journal: What are the most helpful resources OHS offers in your opinion?
Adora Gao: Office hours are the best resources. Take 30 minutes out of your day to talk to your own instructor about concepts that you’re unsure of, and it’s much better than sending an email to the instructor, trying to figure it out yourself, or consulting other students. Though those mentioned above can help, office hours are still the most effective.
Utilize slides and homework assignments. Since OHS allows students to access previous modules from previous weeks, you can go through problems from the start of the year. If you are studying for math or science, look for the questions that the instructor wrote (such as question sets or quizzes); these are most likely to be on an exam.
PJ: What advice do you have for handling stress during these busy midterm weeks?
AG: Midterms and finals have always been stressful, and the source of stress is mainly the fear of doing poorly on these exams. One thing that comforts me is calculating the lowest possible grade I can receive. Since it is the beginning of the year, there are still many assignments left for you to bring your grade up.
Ask for extensions if you are consumed by exams. I’m not encouraging students to abuse extensions, but when you’re juggling three essays and three exams each weighed over 10% of your grade, there will be an immense amount of pressure. Push back some of the essays to focus on the exams. Be sure to talk to your instructor in advance.
PJ: Do you follow a specific study schedule when it comes to exams?
AG: Not really. A week in advance of the “study period,” I accumulate materials and notes so that I have everything I need to study. However, your schedule depends entirely on how confident you are in your knowledge of the material. One method I would like to use this year is studying by topics instead of by time. This is where I learned of this concept: https://youtu.be/b7o09a7t4RA
I feel like specific study schedules cause stress instead of comfort. Simple to-do lists made the night before should suffice. A to-do list shouldn’t exceed 7 items; you can always add after completing the list, but more than 7 stresses me out too much.
PJ: What are your goals and plans as the Board Chair of Student Academic Support and Services (SASS), or what are some things you are currently working on?
AG: One thing I would like to work on is providing resources for students. With Teacher/TA/Peer Tutor interviews, students can know more about their course, which 1) helps them know more about their course and 2) allow students to choose which classes they want to take the next year.
Another recourse is to provide 1.5 hour study calls on a bi-weekly basis, and 5 hour study calls before exam weeks. Currently, I am working on the timing of these calls, but feel free to join the Skype group.
During these calls, students will study together and hopefully, all students can be focused for a period of time. The concept is rather simple, but it should help with concentration and productivity.
PJ: Could you tell us more on how your SASS study groups and how they can help students during midterms?
AG: During midterms, we will have 5 hour study calls that will start and end depending on when the students would like to meet. Students are free to come and leave at any time, even I will be taking breaks and allowing board members to host. If you would like to participate, we will hold the calls on the Skype group mentioned above. The concept is the same as the shorter calls: students studying together can help with concentration. Since it is a longer period of time, students can prepare for their exams and write essays with more time.
PJ: How did you get started with bullet journaling and what do you enjoy most about it?
AG: I started bullet journaling two years ago. I think it’s the therapeutic quality of feeling productive while doing something simple and maybe artistic that makes me appreciate bullet journalling. I also move planning styles a lot and a bullet journaling allows me to do that. Bullet journaling doesn’t fit everyone; it does take time out of your day to plan, but even the simplest to-do list can be done on a bullet journal in two minutes.
PJ: How does it help you plan or stay organized in academics?
AG: I do an hourly plan, where I can schedule out which times I have to complete assignments. Bullet journals are very versatile, so last year I had really elaborate plans, but simple to-do lists or hourly plans can accomplish the same amount. In simplest terms, a bullet journal is a blank to-do list.
PJ: How do you think journaling and planning has helped you beyond staying organized for school?
AG: To be honest, I mostly use my bullet journal for school-related things. However, when I’m packing for travel or want to write something down, I also refer to my bullet journal so the thought stays somewhere and I can refer to it so I don’t forget it.
PJ: Do you prefer taking notes on paper or online, and why?
AG: It really depends on the class and the amount of time it takes to take notes. I normally take notes by hand, since I buy a lot of paper and I enjoy writing notes and seeing the end result. Stem classes like math and science I handwrite notes, since the notation of many things are really hard to type on a computer. For humanities, I handwrite if the readings aren’t that long. For classes that require a lot of notes, I type them. For HSC—a class with a lot of topics—I am taking notes on the computer since I can utilize Ctrl + F to find specific terms.
PJ: Any final advice from your experience to students who are stressed or worried?
AG: It’s natural to feel stressed during these times, but don’t stress yourself out too much! Create a schedule, and stick to it. Don’t forget that life goes on after an exam, and since we’re still early in the year, you’ll have a chance to recover your grade afterwards. Also, if you ever need to study and focus, please come to our SASS study calls!