Ep. 104 - Finals Week Playbook: Advice from Your Advisors

Finals week is coming — but don’t stress, you’ve got this! In this episode of the CSUSB Advising Podcast, Matt Markin and Olga Valdivia share real talk on how to manage finals week like a pro. We break down simple, yet effective strategies, making a study schedule you can actually follow, and using AI tools (hello, flashcards and quizzes!) to level up your prep. We also remind you why taking care of yourself — getting enough sleep, staying hydrated, and moving your body — is key to staying sharp. Plus, we drop advice on how to stay consistent, plan day-by-day, and lean on your Coyote support system. Tune in and get ready to finish the semester strong, Yotes! 

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Transcript

Matt Markin  
Hey and welcome back to the CSUSB advising podcast. This is Matt Markin from the asua academic advising office, and I am thrilled to let you all know that we have a co host joining the podcast, and that is my good friend and colleague, Olga. Olga, welcome.

Olga Valdivia  
Thank you so much, Matt. I appreciate being here, and I'm excited to be a part of this experience.

Matt Markin  
Now, we were just talking right before we hit record about, oh my gosh. How long have we known each other? So we've known each other since working in the admissions office at Cal State San Bernardino, or admission student recruitment way back in the day, I know I met you in August of 2004 but yeah, it's been such a long, fun journey, and kind of we started in admissions, we went our own ways, and then found ourselves in academic advising together. So I know you've been on a previous episode of the podcast as a guest and now as as co host with me. So can you let listeners know a little bit about yourself and your background?

Olga Valdivia  
Yeah, absolutely. So yes, we have known each other for a long time, and it's wonderful to always kind of come back. And so it's funny how things just always work out that way, right? But yeah, I've been on campus since 2000 so I'm a coyote for life. I'm so happy about that. Cal State has been my second home, and so I'm just really happy to be here, and I hope that I can do a good job for you guys.

Matt Markin  
Yeah, and I think kind of like our journeys working in different offices now in advising, I think that hopefully students will know that helps, helps us know a lot of information and resources and individuals to connect with that we can help you as CSUSB students. And speaking of which, it's going to be coming up on finals, and I know that could be a stressful time for students. We were students before. I think we've gone through all the different types of moods you can during finals week. And so Olga and I thought it'll be great to chat about maybe some tips we might have for you as students. So ready to have this discussion?

Olga Valdivia  
Yeah, let's do it. Let's jump right into it. All the years of experience we've been collecting a few tips.

Matt Markin  
Oh, absolutely. And I guess maybe we'll start with, you know, I guess coming up on finals have keeping that motivation, staying motivated, you know, especially when it could feel like all the assignments or exams, the projects, everything's kind of coming to a head and piling up, we can be overwhelmed. We might be burnt out for 15 weeks of a semester. I don't know. What tips do you have?

Olga Valdivia  
You know, I think leading up to it, yeah, we start getting overwhelmed. But one of the things that has worked for me is looking at smaller goals, right? Like, okay, so I have to prioritize what I want to focus on first, and if to me, at least thinking about it in smaller segments that helped me not feel overwhelmed. It's one of the things that worked for me.

Matt Markin  
Yeah, oh, it's kind of like taking, like this large goal, break it up into little pieces, so kind of get the small wins when you can. That to me, based off what you just said, I kind of think makes me think about like, I don't know if you've ever heard of the 50/10 rule. So it's basically, you kind of study a subject for 50 minutes and then take a 10 minute break and then go back, either to study that subject again for 50 minutes or move on to another subject. And it just, it kind of takes the idea that we can get tired easily. Our eyes, in a sense, our eyes are muscles. They can get tired. So kind of taking that 10 minute mental break from what you're studying, because otherwise you might just be like looking at your notes, and it just kind of nothing happens. It's not sinking in.

Olga Valdivia  
You know, um, that's funny. What you mentioned because I've heard that. I hadn't heard of the 50/10 I've heard of it similarly, but in shorter amounts. So I've heard it in 30 minutes, take a five minute break, and in that five minutes, do something that makes you happy, go into the garden, go get some fresh air. Five minute party. You know, dance for five minutes. Sometimes just those little distractions can get you energized about getting right back into focus. 

Matt Markin  
But I think it's also making sure that if you take that break. Hold yourself to that certain five or 10 minute break, because I know if I, if I were to take a break, I'm like, let me oh, let me watch 10 minutes of a TV show. Then I'll be like, let me watch the whole episode. Oh, the next episodes after that, let me watch that. I'll go back to studying, and then eight hours later, nope.

Olga Valdivia  
Yeah, no, that that does happen. I think one of the things that I think about a lot is how addicted we are to our cell phones, right? So, like keeping it out of sight, because then my brains, like, let me, let me just check on on this real quick, right? Or let me take a social media break and to me, like, super distracting, so I rather not look at it. Otherwise, I'm thinking about it fits in the background.

Matt Markin  
Yeah, oh, yeah, absolutely. And I think kind of taking your idea of like, breaking the larger project up into smaller bits, I can think of, like, let's say you have to write an essay for a class, or you're doing a research paper. I know for me, I could just get overwhelmed by the sheer amount of different parts I have to do on this paper. But if I break it down and say, well, let's say a research paper, for example, well, let me first spend my time looking up on databases for other articles I'm going to cite. Okay, that's a project in and of itself. And then it might be, well, what's my intro? What's the method section? So kind of taking each part of that paper one at a time, and knowing, okay, once I finish that part, then I can kind of cross it off my list, or check it off, whatever I want to do. But then I can visually see I'm actually making progress, actually completing this, ultimately, this large paper that I'm going to have to submit.

Olga Valdivia  
And Matt, you said something that like, pricked my ears up. You said checking it off the list. That's one of the things that for me as a student was like, I'm a list person. I get overwhelmed. If I don't have that, you know, I get to check it off, I get some satisfaction and onto the next so, you know, that's another thing that might help students, is just kind of having a list and prioritize it the way that works for you.

Matt Markin  
What are your thoughts on? Like, what might be some mistakes that students might make in regards to maybe time management when they're kind of prepping for finals?

Olga Valdivia  
I think I kind of was a part of that myself. You know me too, being a first gen student, you know, that was a little rough, and like, really being accountable with myself, right? Because when I said, Oh yeah, I studied, you know, it's like, Okay, keep it real with myself. I read it once or twice now, can I can I verbalize it back to you? Am I ready? You know, but I guess it just, it depends on each student, right? I don't feel like I have the best study tools, and over time i i always reflect on these things and it's like, oh, okay, I should have done this in this order or and I should have, like, prioritized differently, because thinking about students, they're working, you know, they might have one or two jobs, they might have kids and a family and and so it gets overwhelming, but when it comes to time management, I think a really great thing. I'm old school, so I like to still write in my planner. I like to set aside time specifically for studying. I treat it as a class, so if I'm in class, I'm not expecting anybody to be calling me or needing of me, right? And so kind of sharing that information with your support group, whether that's your family, your roommates, your you know, whoever that is, and letting them know, Hey, I'm going to be studying for the next hour or so, just to kind of have that established and make it part of the routine.

Matt Markin  
And yeah, I like the idea of writing it down, or, if you're the tech person, put in, like, your phone on the calendar or something. But setting those reminders, because I used to be one that I was like, Oh, I'll remember all of it. And like, I'll remember this later. And then five minutes go by, I'm like, What was I supposed to do again? So yeah, writing it down and kind of hold yourself to that kind of schedule. Because I think what happens sometimes with students, and this has happened to me, still happens with me. Sometimes I think we we might overestimate how much free time that we might have to devote to studying, but underestimate how much time we might need to complete those, the studying and the papers and the projects, so maybe also kind of going along with blocking out, like your time for studying on the calendar. It might be adding a little bit extra time, just in case, because, like you were mentioning, many students have families, they got jobs, they got other obligations. So sometimes there might life happens, and so you might plan it, and then something happens, and that becomes a priority, and now you have to take care of that thing before you can go back to the study. So maybe kind of having that little bit of extra time before and after for the study as like a little bit of a buffer.

Olga Valdivia  
Yeah, buffers are always great. You never know life happens. Gotta be ready for it. And I think it's important to also kind. To roll with the flow. You know, we can only control what we can control, and the rest is going to be.

Matt Markin  
And you know, you were mentioning about a little while ago, but it was basically, oh, like, when you were studying you, you, you were like, Okay, you had to kind of tell yourself, okay, yes. Just because I looked at it twice, doesn't mean like that. I know the information, I got to continuously study it, so it's kind of like that consistency with it. But I think a nice, great way is, if you it to kind of really know, do I really understand the information, or am I remembering it? Is possibly try to teach it to somebody else, which could be weird, if it's like, let me teach it to my my sibling, or, you know, my parent, or you know another student or a friend. And as much as that might feel weird, it's like, can you actually, you know, have the information that's in your head and be able to explain it to someone who maybe not in your class and has no idea what you're talking about? Can you actually help them understand it? And if so, then you probably have a good chance of like, okay, I'm going to do well on this exam, because I am remembering this information and I actually understand what this information is, other than just memorizing it.

Olga Valdivia  
Yeah, no, I think you are right on that's a great segue. Let's talk about, you know, studying and cramming versus I've been consistently studying over the term. 

Matt Markin  
I think that's great, I mean, I think I did a lot when I was a student again. You know, whether it was just underestimating how much time I actually had, or things kind of felt like they piled up. I'm trying to get things done like the night before, and, you know, whether I'm taking some energy drinks so I could stay up and then continuously study and then go the next day to do the exam or to submit my paper. You know, I found just with myself that I made a lot of mistakes, or I would, actually, if it's an exam and I was studying the night before, I would have that like, oh, I blanked out on the exam. And it's like, well, I remembered it when I was reviewing my notes, but it didn't like, it wasn't enough time for my mind to process it, to actually, like, retain the information into, like, my long term memory, to be able to actually do this exam properly.

Olga Valdivia  
I was there too. But I think it's important if students understand if I'm just consistent, if every week I'm dedicating a certain amount of time, you know, I can verbalize the information I just read back to you. I'm understanding it. I think they're going to be more successful, because at that rate, I'm not cramming, I'm just reviewing everything that I've already been studying over the term, right? And so it'll just retain better, and it won't feel as overwhelming having to try to go all night without sleeping and trying to study for that next morning's exam. But you know, just giving yourself that extra time to not feel rushed, not feel as pressured, can go a long way.

Matt Markin  
Yeah, and I would imagine a lot of students, probably, if they listen to this, are like, you know, that's true, I should be more consistent. But it's also kind of like it's a habit, that you're trying to create a good habit and maybe trying to get rid of a bad habit if you're so used to doing the cramming. But I think it's also kind of understand that, yeah, like, the cramming can lead to, like, high stress, high burnout, lack of sleep, getting sick. It's also kind of considered like a passive review, versus actually kind of having that consistency and learning to understand the information and it it may be helps with, like, a short term memory boost, but it doesn't lead to very high retention of the information, which is why we kind of have that like, oh, I blanked out on the exam when I actually got it. But yeah, it's kind of building that, building that as a good habit of having that consistency. Someone once told me that, you know, like, let's say you're you take notes in a class, then it might be good to, like, rewrite those notes the night book or the night or, yeah, that same day or the next day, and then every other day you're kind of reviewing the notes from that class. And then every time you have another class, you kind of just build upon the amount that you're actually reviewing. So yeah, it kind of increases throughout the weeks, but it leads to easier retention and remembering of of what you were learning in previous classes.

Olga Valdivia  
Yeah, that. I think that definitely helped me. If I can rewrite it multiple times, it just sticks right and so do it guys.

Matt Markin  
Yeah, how, how do you talk to students, about explaining to them? Kind of studying is different depending on like, what type of class you have.

Olga Valdivia  
Yeah, well, that can be super different, right? Like, my undergrad was in art, totally different than a math major, right? A math major is probably going to have to do those problems over and over and over understand the structure behind the problems. Whereas, you know, if I'm an English major. I'm reading a lot. I'm writing, and it's, it's a different type of studying. I've always been a big believer of the buddy system, right? That was something that that was very beneficial to me, and kind of like having the flashcards and kind of reciting it back and forth, you know, all right, tell me this with the definition of this word, right? Whatever it may be. So there's just a lot of ways students can go about it. I think different minds work differently. And so I if it's like a type of I don't know, some students like to learn independently, right? And so that may be better for them, but yeah, if, if I'm working on a art paper, right, I'm going to be reviewing a lot of images and studying those individual images, as opposed to having to do a formula right, the methods are going to change depending on the topic. So, yeah, practice those problems.

Matt Markin  
I mean, let's say yeah, student could, like, have a variety of different classes, right, like, each semester, so they might have like that writing class, and kind of maybe take some of those tips that you mentioned. Maybe they have like a, like, a studio art class, and then it's like, and I think in kind of like the time like the time management, making sure you have those extra time, maybe those extra hours to work on your project and have a quality project that you're actually submitting for art. But yeah, like the math classes could be, like, more skill based and problem focused, so it's like you have to be able to understand the formulas. But then, yeah, you might have, like, the history class, that's more content, you know, and so, like, you're having to do a lot of reading, maybe writing, connecting ideas. So yeah, it's kind of really just taking each class, what it's about, what I need to learn, taking the time to understand, to have that consistency with the study, but understand that each class will will be different on how you go about it, and it's kind of just, you know, maybe even chatting with your professors if you have questions on maybe how suggestions they might have of how to best go about preparing for finals.

Olga Valdivia  
Absolutely, I think students sometimes might not utilize their faculty enough, right? You know, keep in mind, a lot of faculty will provide students that summary that they should be studying off of and have a really excellent review, and that just helps focus on the most important points.

Matt Markin  
So I know another topic that's a big one, and maybe some of we can talk about him. It'll be very general, but AI and finals or AI and studying, what are your thoughts?

Olga Valdivia  
I've had mixed thoughts, right? But just because I feel like I didn't know enough about AI or I was kind of hesitant to to want to use it, and lately, I've just kind of been learning a little bit more about AI and how I can use it to help me in the in the long run, not to do my work, but to to be a supplement to my studying, right? Like I've been learning about, you know, here's my here are my notes, create flashcards for me, right? Like, that's, that's one quick thing that AI can do so quickly for us to help us prep and feel successful going into it, right?

Matt Markin  
Yeah, definitely, all great points. I mean, yeah, AI, I like how you mentioned it, about it kind of being like this supplement, you know? And, yeah, I think it can be great in terms of maybe helping to quiz you that that you know the information, maybe even help you develop a study plan or time management plan based off how you are as a student, as and as an individual. And kind of like the quizzing part, maybe it's like, you know, give me some practice questions and test me, you know, there's, I know, I had one student tell me about, and this is a product placement, not getting paid for this, but via study which had very nice visuals. And you were mentioning, like, making flashcards and like, this particular AI platform actually can create, like, a visual, electronic flash card kind of system, and so it's kind of whatever might work. Of course, you know, not using AI for any cheating, also potentially looking at the syllabus of your class to see if there's an AI statement and if you're allowed to use any or not. And of course, you have any questions. Questions, you know, chat with your professor as well, just to make sure. But it's also knowing, yeah, if you are using AI for anything, it's also knowing. Double check the work because potentially or the answers or responses that you're given because it could be wrong. So you always want to make sure that you are looking to make sure it is correct, or if it is wrong, why is it wrong? And that could also help with with your learning, as well as you prepare for finals.

Olga Valdivia  
You know, one thing I was really liking about it is the how, the fact that it can help you brainstorm, right? We throw out a suggestion, and it can give you really good feedback. You keep kind of giving it more cues to what it is that you're trying to find, and that can that can help a lot with that brainstorming piece.

Matt Markin  
Yeah, absolutely. Now another big piece, and I know this is something that you talk to your students about a lot as well, is their well being throughout the whole semester. So what tips do you have?

Olga Valdivia  
Thank you. I always think like it's so important we're not just advising our student, right? They're not just a student. Every student has all of these other dimensions, different things that they're dealing with in their lives. But I think it's really important that, it's important that we're getting sufficient amount of sleep and that we're drinking plenty of water, because keeps our brain healthy, it keeps our brain ready to learn and to retain all the information. And so I think it's just way of thinking about our health, right? Maybe trying to avoid the fast food, because that's not going to benefit us in the long run, right? But just kind of keeping an eye on making sure we're getting good exercise, we're getting, you know, sunshine and just taking care of ourselves, that's a big part of it, too, right?

Matt Markin  
Yeah, but fast food is so good though.

Olga Valdivia  
We're saving money in this economy,

Matt Markin  
But, love it. Fantastic tips for that, and yeah, and I think it's just it's for students, even us human beings in general, just to have that reminder of like we are human, we need to take breaks. We need to have our energy. And that's also going to help us in the long run as well. But I guess as we come towards the end, what any last pieces of advice that you have for students as they prepare for finals week?

Olga Valdivia  
Yeah, absolutely. Visualize success, right? You know, we got to will it and put it out into the universe, but, but not just that. You know, thinking about finals, this is a temporary type of deal, right? We're going to study, we're going to take the exam, and then we'll have that relief, that sigh of relief at the end. So, you know, just take a day at a time, build that plan that you're going to follow to to be successful for your finals. And you know, whatever works for you, keep doing that. And if you need to maybe rely on a partner to study, find that study, buddy.

Matt Markin  
Olga, any, any last comments before we end this episode?

Olga Valdivia  
You guys have questions. Reach out to your advisors. We're here to help support you.