Congratulations! You're nearly there! The end of your first semester of college is in sight! How exciting to wrap up your classes, have a winter break to regroup, and then come back refreshed for the spring. Before you get into full relaxation mode, let's talk quick about finals. With just over a week left until finals week, now is the time to start preparing. Below you'll find 5 strategies for getting started with your studying early, an important step in your end-of-the-semester success.

1) Start Early! If you know that you have over a week until your exam, start chunking up the work you need to do in order to prepare for it right now. By breaking up the work, you create more of an opportunity to actually digest and understand major concepts and terns, rather than memorizing them to simply repeat them or list them on an exam or in a final paper.

2) Distribute your time. Instead of cramming the night before, create a study schedule where you can distribute study times more evenly than all in one or two nights before your exam, like below:

3) "Reading" and "studying" are two different things. We should read our material before we start studying, so we know what to hone in on as important key concepts, and where to find that information.

4) Get organized. This refers to your materials and people. When you sit down to study, make sure that you have whatever textbook or course pack you might need, lecture/class notes, and any supplemental reading or articles you've been assigned for class. When it comes to people, you might think about organizing a study group or connecting with one other person from your class to have study sessions with. Studying in groups is a great way to answer any questions you might have that another student might know the answer to, and vice versa.

There are group study rooms on the first floor of the SSC that you can book, as well as those that you can book in Rose and Carrier libraries. There are also first-come, first-served rooms available in both of the libraries. The library website allows you to select the library you want and then navigate an interactive map of each library, by floor, to explore which rooms are available for booking and which are first-come, first-serve. Below you can see what that exploration process looks like:

On the left-hand side of the page you have the option to choose the library you would like to brows by floor. Once you click on the floor you'd like to explore, you'll be taken to the floor plan of that floor, as seen below.

Once on the page showing the floor plan, you can use the key to determine which rooms are bookable and which are first-come, first-served to students. By clicking on the individual rooms, you will be take to a snapshot of the room itself.

A third floor, bookable study room in Carrier

Career & Academic Planning is also offering interview rooms as open study rooms, now that the recruiting season has come to a close....

5) Self-Test. Self-testing can happen individual or in a study group. By asking yourself or others questions about the material, answering those questions, and then looking back at the information to make sure the answers are correct, you're reinforcing the information you're studying. Also, if you know you're going to be "tested" at the end of your study session, it might serve as extra motivation to truly focus when you're studying.

Remember, everyone has a unique learning and study style. What might work for you, might no work for your roommate or your classmates, and that's OK. Just keep in mind a few things that everyone can benefit, no matter their style or preference: Reach out to your professors if you are confused about anything or have a question/need clarification on unclear concepts covered in class or in the textbook. Be mindful of the location you choose to study in and the distractions that could enable you to lose focus. And use your learning style to determine what was of studying work best for you.

Don't forget to balance your studying with self-care as well. To do that, check out some of the neat things happening around campus within the next couple of weeks, starting tomorrow night with...

The annual Tree Lighting on the Quad at 6PM! President Alger and Dr. Warner will both speak, and there will be JMU a capella performances. Come join us for a great night filled with hot chocolate, cider, coffee, cookies, and an inspiring way to kick off the holiday season here at JMU!

UPB is hosting a handful of events this week. Tomorrow, Friday, December 4, comedian Ryan Conner is being spotlighted down in TDU at 8:00 PM, with free campus cookies at the end of his show! Wednesday, December 9th, Brainfreeze Trivia will be taking place from 7-9 PM in TDU. On Thursday, December 10, De-Stress Fest in TDU will provide you with a chance to relax before finals by painting your own mug, coloring, and learning to meditate. As always, the movies showing this week and next are listed on their website.

On Saturday, December 5th, Mad4U is bringing Gina Bondurant, an esteemed gardener and craftswoman to Creative Madison Craftnight. Held in the Club House from 7:30 PM-Midnight, the event will feature centerpiece making with local greenery. While this event is particular meaningful for the holiday season, the Club House is open every Saturday night from 7:30 until the building closes for you to get your craft on!

CMSS, or the Center for Multicultural Student Services, is hosting a campus-wide conversation on diversity and inclusion: Exploring JMU, Our Nation, and the University of Missouri. This event, taking place tomorrow, December 4 at 1:30 PM will be held in the Madison Ballroom, and is meant to provide a space (via small group discussions and through the use of the 8 Key Questions) where students, faculty, and staff are able to process through some of the most recent events occurring across the nation today regarding racial tensions and social identities.The Madison Collaborative is providing pizza and drinks, so come have a bite to eat and engage in some meaningful dialogue. Want to talk diversity, but unsure where to start the conversation? CMSS is also hosting "Diversity Matters" on Friday, December 11 from 2:00-3:00 PM in Madison Union 256. This is an opportunity to learn more about different topics related to diversity, multiculturalism, access, and inclusion.

For those of you looking for your musical fix, there are several a capella concerts coming up! The first is tomorrow, December 4, when the BluesTones sing for us at their CD release concert at 7:00 PM in the Festival Ballroom A. With Madison Dance also making a special appearance, it's bound to be a great night! Tickets are $4 with JACard, $7 without. All proceeds go to JMU Alpha Phi's philanthropy, Women's Cardiac Care. Next up is Exit 245, singing for us this Saturday, December 5 at 6:00 PM in the Festival Ballroom. Tickets for these gentlemen are $5 with JACard and $7 without. Finally, Operation Santa Claus: A Miracle on South Main Street, a holiday themed show featuring a capella, dance, and comedy groups, is taking place Tuesday, December 8 at 7:00 PM in Wilson Hall. There is a suggested donation of $5, with proceeds going to the big Brothers, Big Sisters program for Harrisonburg-Rockingham county.

Basketball more your thing than a capella? With your JACard you get free admission to the men's and women's games. The men play Marshall this Sunday, December 6 at 2:00 PM and George Mason next Saturday, December 12 at 4:00 PM. The women play American this Saturday, December 5 at 7:00 PM.

UREC is hosting their annual Warm a Winter Wish program. This year they are partnering with three local agencies- First Step, Mercy House, and Crossroads to Brain Injury Recovery- to help make wishes come true for community families in need. Stop by the UREC lobby for more information and to pick up a wish tag from the Warm a Winter Wish Tree. Unwrapped gifts with rags are due to UREC by December 16 at Noon. Can't contribute a gift, but want to wrap? They'll be a wrapping party on December 16 at 1:00 PM in the UREC Main Gym, Courts 3&4. All are welcome! Learn more here!

Finally, as finals approach, know that I'll be sending positive energy your way, and that...

"Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out."

~R. Collier~