OC HIGH: STUDENT NEWS & VIEWS : OC High asks: How do you prepare for a big exam?
Responses gathered by Joslin Gemsch, Capistrano Valley; Michelle Pham, Trabuco Hills; Amanda Garcia, El Modena; Tricia Michels, Fountain Valley; Cherie Chan, Marina; Mona Hanouni, Loara; Leeza Duong, Santiago; Priscilla Leite, Saddleback; Judy Tsai, Huntington Beach; Joe Sherbanee, Mater Dei; Linda Dao, Los Amigos; Tori Clive, Cypress; Jennifer Tobkin, Villa Park; Kai Wang, Anaheim; Alison Koodrich, Ocean View; Laurel Gorman, Mission Viejo; Michael Moore, Saddleback; Kiran Jain, El Dorado; Dana Lenetz, Foothill; Jenny Yee, Canyon, Sharon Maher, Westminster.
“I sleep on my books so I can learn by osmosis.”
Julie Deschenes, 16
junior, El Modena
“I study my flash cards and eat a lot of wheat before I go to bed.”
Elisha Hernandez, 16
sophomore, Capistrano Valley
“I try to study for it early, but it usually doesn’t work.”
Erika Knoop, 16
junior, Trabuco Hills
“I begin with a movie, usually a comedy. Then I pig out for the next 30 minutes. Finally, I take a big breath and tell myself, ‘I have to do this.’ My study period usually lasts about 10 minutes.”
Cheryl Cowen, 18
senior, Cypress
“If I don’t already know it, I don’t plan on learning it the night before.”
Dalbert Rodriguez, 16
junior, Loara
“Ten days of fasting and prayer.”
Thomas Sitch, 17
senior, Westminster
“I slack off all semester then stay up all night the day before the test.”
Kevin Lin, 17
senior, El Dorado
“I get a good night’s sleep and eat a good breakfast. Since I have a good memory, I only need to review the notes a few minutes before the test.”
Jesse Mai, 16
junior, Saddleback
“I go home, take a nap, wake up, grab a snack and study.”
Patty Munoz, 17
senior, Mater Dei
“I procrastinate until the day before the test. When that day comes, I cram until my brain hurts. The day of the test I do a quick review and pray to the Almighty (that) I pass.”
Aaron Bird, 16
junior, Fountain Valley
“I review my notes from lectures and books several times. Without notes, I explain everything to myself out loud, since I am both an audio and visual learner.”
Christine Guirguis, 17
senior, Canyon
“By reviewing my notes and discussing topics with other students in the class.”
Lauren Watson, 17
junior, Foothill
“I cram everything in the morning.”
Thuan Tran, 15
sophomore, Los Amigos
“Well, mostly I study the night before until my brain is fried with the subject. Then as soon as I get to my class the next day, I look over my notes really fast and hope to get an A, or I guess I’ll settle for a passing grade.”
Belen Hernandez, 14
freshman, Anaheim
“I make sure I get to class that day.”
Sean Madden, 17
senior, Mission Viejo
“I get with a study group and study.”
Michelle Carney, 18
senior, Ocean View
“I don’t. Basically, I watch TV to stimulate my dendrites.”
Linh Truong, 17
senior, Saddleback
“I study a lot, sleep about eight hours and I listen to the Smashing Pumpkins album, ‘Siamese Dream.’ ”
Tommy Schmitt, 17
junior, El Dorado
“Cram, cram, cram. Any more questions?”
Claudia Gallegos, 17
junior, Santiago
“I study a little bit each day, throughout the entire unit. I then study on the night before the exam and then I don’t worry about it. The key is don’t worry.”
Greg Bird, 16
junior, Villa Park
“I usually don’t.”
Lorena Figueroa, 14
freshman, Capistrano Valley
“I organize all my work and just review it. If I don’t know it, forget it.”
Catherine Canare, 16
junior, Trabuco Hills
“I sit down and study my notes for hours, as long as I have to.”
Dyne Kim, 15
sophomore, Kennedy
“I prepare by going out for fast food, watching TV at night, then going into the test ‘cold turkey’ and hoping for the best: A+.”
Nick Moller, 17
senior, Loara
“I have to be in a quiet and clean environment. Otherwise I get distracted. Once I sit down to study, I usually go through my notes, read over the chapters in my book and highlight what I think is important.”
Jayna Guild, 16
junior, Fountain Valley
“I make flash cards; I review my notes and pick out all of the important things and study them.”
Lucy Santaniello, 17
senior, Mater Dei
“I find studying a waste of time. Either I can do it or I can’t. I just complete my homework, pray and hope for the best.”
Patrick Murphy, 16
junior, Cypress
“Before a really big exam (example: finals, SAT), I make sure that I go out of the house or relax in some way the night before and don’t go to sleep any earlier than usual. If you drastically break from your routine, or stress out the night before, then your performance will suffer.”
Sheila Warren, 17
senior, Marina
“Study, take notes, read notes before test.”
Kiet Banh, 18
senior, Santiago
“The night before I cram. Straight memorization.”
Quyen Huynh
sophomore, Saddleback
“You mean there’s a test? No really, I just look over my notes, if I’ve taken any, and take the test. Most people tend to stress out and do really bad, but I just relax and usually do pretty good. I’ve never really studied for a big test; I probably should have, but I haven’t.”
Melissa Faber, 18
senior, Villa Park
“I usually go over any notes or homework I have, thumb through the textbook and study with a friend. I usually don’t study a little every night, but study a lot the night before the test.”
Brett Robertson, 17
junior, Huntington Beach