Get exam ready with "Keep Calm and Study On!"
Feeling the pressure in the final weeks of the term? Keep Calm and Study On!
Running from Nov. 30 to Dec. 11, we've put together two weeks of workshops, destressing fun and downloadable resources to help you succeed in studying for finals and focussing on your own personal wellness. The goal of Keep Calm and Study On is to remind you to start studying early, be intentional about planning breaks and to take care of your wellbeing during the exam period.
All resources on this page will be available throughout the entire exam period. If you need writing, study skills or math and stats learning support, book a virtual appointment or check out these other great study skills or writing resources compiled by Laurier's Teaching and Learning team!
Get Your Remote Care Package
We highly encourage you to check out the remote care package that has a variety of resources to help you stay well and manage your study schedule. This package includes study strategies, easy recipes, study playlist recommendations, journal prompts and more! If you did not receive this package to your mylaurier email, please email laurier101@wlu.ca and we would be happy to send it to you.Ongoing Events
Take a Walk with Foot Patrol
- Students' Union – Nov. 30 to Dec. 10
- Take a walk with Foot Patrol and enter an Instagram giveaway. Follow @wlu_footpatrol_w on Instagram, where they will share study tips about taking breaks and going for walks. Students can post themselves on a walk, tag Foot Patrol and use the hashtag #keepcalmandstudyon to be entered for a Bookstore gift card.
CSEDI Study Break Giveaway
- Centre for Student Equity, Diversity and Inclusion – Nov. 30 to Dec. 11
- Share your best social justice themed Tiktok or video to @LBCSEDI Instagram for a chance to win 1 of 2 ring lights! Full contest details at linktr.ee/LBCSEDI
12 Days of Fitmas
- Athletics and Recreation – Dec. 7 to Dec. 18
- Follow @laurierbrantfordgoldenhawks for daily holiday editions of trivia, workouts, recipes and local gift ideas!
Spice Up Your Parcel
- Students' Union (Food Bank) – Dec. 7 to Dec. 11
- Follow @wlu_foodbank_b to learn to make gourmet meals using Food Bank items. There will also a cooking challenge where you can win big by submitting your best recipe.
So You Think You Can Nap?
- Students' Union (Healthy Lifestyles) – Dec. 7 to Dec. 11
- Need some help getting a better sleep this exam season? Follow @wlu_healthylifestyles_b for some tips and tricks to catch better 'z's'. Submit a photo of your strangest napping spot for a chance to win a weighted blanket!
5 Days of Self-Care
- Students' Union (Peer Connect) – Dec. 7 to Dec. 11
- Learn about the importance of self-care and how you can incorporate self-care into your daily routine through @wlu_peerconnect_b
Let's Talk Sustainability
- Students' Union (EcoHawks) – Dec. 7 to Dec. 11
- Daily videos will be posted on @wlu_ecohawks_b to help you keep sustainability in mind during the holidays.
Golden Hour
- Students' Union (Shinerama) – Dec. 7 to Dec. 11
- Help brighten someone's day by posting a photo taken during the 'golden hour' and by sharing something that brings sunshine into your life. View all submissions on @wlu_shinerama_b
Schedule of Events – Week One
Monday, Nov. 30 | Self-Care for Anxiety (1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.) | Graduate Peer Support Group (5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.) | Preparing for Final Exams Workshop (7 p.m. – 8 p.m.) | Featured Recorded Content: Creating a Final Exam Schedule | |
Tuesday, Dec. 1 | Stress Management and Avoidance (10:30 a.m. – 11:30 p.m.) | Exam and Performance Anxiety (2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.) | Spilling the Tea: Studying for Finals (2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.) | Undergraduate Peer Support Group (4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.) | BINGO with Twan (9 p.m. – 10 p.m.) |
Wednesday, Dec. 2 | Coping with Holiday Stress (2 p.m. – 3 p.m.) | Wilf's Trivia (9 p.m. – 10 p.m.) | Featured Recorded Content: Elaboration; Dual-Coding; Concrete Examples | ||
Thursday, Dec. 3 | Strategies for Approaching Large Writing Assignments Workshop (2 p.m. – 3 p.m.) | Preparing for Final Exams Workshops (3 p.m. – 4 p.m.) | Approaching In-Class and Exam Essay Workshop (7 p.m. – 8 p.m.) | ||
Friday, Dec. 4 | Soup Bannock (3 p.m. – 4 p.m.) | Featured Recorded Content: "Power Hour" Study Strategy; Stretch Break; Make Your Own Frappe |
Monday, Nov. 30
Self-Care for Anxiety
- Wellness Education – 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.
- Review the importance of incorporating self-care strategies into your daily routine to help manage your anxiety. Both traditional and unconventional approaches to self-care will be discussed.
Graduate Peer Support Group
- Wellness Education – 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
- The Peer Support program aims to create a safe, inviting space where graduate students can discuss student-life concerns with a trained peer supporter who can listen, validate and refer.
Preparing for Final Exams Workshop
- Transition and Learning Services – 7 to 8 p.m.
- Create a final exam study plan, explore effective study methods, review stress management techniques and avoid procrastination triggers.
Tuesday, Dec. 1
Stress Management and Avoidance
- Wellness Education – 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.
- In this workshop, you will learn about the cycle of anxiety and how to use healthy coping strategies to manage stress and set goals to overcome avoidance.
Exam and Performance Anxiety
- Wellness Education – 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.
- Learn ways to handle performance anxiety, improve your mental game and find inner calm during midterms and exams. This workshop will also address additional stressors caused by remote exam writing.
Spill the Tea: Studying for Finals
- Wellness Education – 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.
- Join some of our Peer Wellness Educators as they share how they are staying well this year. Spill the Tea is a space to share, a space to learn and a space to connect with other students. In this session, learn how other students are studying and share some of your own strategies too.
Undergraduate Peer Support Group
- Wellness Education – 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.
- The Peer Support program aims to create a safe, inviting space where undergraduate students can discuss student-life concerns with a trained peer supporter who can listen, validate and refer.
BINGO with Twan
- Students' Union – 9 to 10 p.m.
- Join Twan for a virtual All Request Music Bingo night. To participate and access both your card and Twan's Twitch Livestream, visit the event listing here.
Wednesday, Dec. 2
Coping with Holiday Stress
- Wellness Education – 2 to 3 p.m.
- Feeling stressed about the upcoming holidays? This workshop is designed to help you recognize your fears and worries by teaching you skills to cope with unwanted stress during the holiday season. By attending this workshop, you will learn how to manage financial stressors, effectively say no, set healthy boundaries and maintain healthy habits.
Wilf's Trivia
- Student Union – 9 to 10 p.m.
- Join your Students' Union for Trivia. One round will be Harry Potter themed and the other one will be general knowledge.
Thursday, Dec. 3
Strategies for Approaching Large Writing Projects
- Writing Services – 2 to 3 p.m.
- Are you a Waterloo Campus student writing a PhD dissertation, Master's thesis, or major research paper? In this one-hour workshop, we will share strategies for how to effectively approach and complete large writing projects. A range of strategies will be discussed, including goal setting, outlining, and writing techniques (e.g., Pomodoro Technique and freewriting). Participants are encouraged to share their uncertainties, challenges, and successes for approaching large writing large projects. A Zoom link will be sent to registered participants prior to the workshop. Register through the Student Success Portal.
Preparing for Final Exams Workshop
- Transition and Learning Services – 3 to 4 p.m.
- Create a final exam study plan, explore effective study methods, review stress management techniques and avoid procrastination triggers.
Approaching In-Class and Exam Essays Workshop
- Writing Services – 7 to 8 p.m.
- This workshop will provide strategies for writing an effective essay in an in-class or exam setting. We will discuss the importance of outlining, anticipating essay questions and managing writing in time-constrained situations. We will also explore study strategies to prepare for timed writing assignments.
Friday, Dec. 4
Soup and Bannock
- Indigenous Initiatives – 3 to 4 p.m.
- Join Lois Thomas on Facebook Live for a cooking demonstration to make your own soup and bannock! Have your ingredients list ready to cook along side Lois as she walks us through the process of making bannock and soup.
- Ingredients for Bannock:
- flour
- vegetable oil
- baking powder
- buttermilk
- salt
- baking soda
- Ingredients for soup:
- 1 can of black beans
- 1 can of kidney beans
- 1 cup of lima beans
- celery
- yellow onion
- 2 carrots
- 3 potatoes
- 3/4 cup pasta (bows, small shells, or macaroni)
- salt + pepper
- kale (frozen or fresh)
- 1 carton of vegetable broth
- 1 small can of tomatoes
Schedule of Events – Week Two
Monday, Dec. 7 | Getting Your Sh*t Together (3 p.m. – 4 p.m.) | Getting Ready for Final Exams (6 p.m. – 7 p.m.) | Preparing for Final Exams Workshop (7 p.m. – 8 p.m.) | Wilf's Open Mic Night (9 p.m. – 10 p.m.) | |
Tuesday, Dec. 8 | Mindfullness (10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.) | Getting Ready for Final Exams (2 p.m. – 3 p.m.) | Spilling the Tea: Keeping Your Sh*t Together (2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.) | "Power Hour" Study Sessions (7 p.m. – 9 p.m.) | BINGO with Twan (9 p.m. – 10 p.m.) |
Wednesday, Dec. 9 | Getting Ready for Final Exams (10 a.m. – 11 a.m.) | Getting Your Sh*t Together (1 p.m. – 2 p.m.) | Featured Recorded Content: Retrieval Practice; Spacing; Interleaving | ||
Thursday, Dec. 10 | Pawsitive Puppy Hour with Leonard the French Bulldog (10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.) | Graduate Writing Group (4 p.m. – 6 p.m.) | CSEDI Study Space (6:30 p.m. – 9 p.m.) | Move to Chill (7 p.m. – 8 p.m.) | |
Friday, Dec. 11 | "Power Hour" Study Sessions (2 p.m. – 4 p.m.) | Featured Recorded Content: How to Make Wilf's Famous Spin Dip; Healthy Hawk Fitness Playlist |
Monday, Dec. 7
Getting Your Sh*t Together
- Wellness Education – 3 to 4 p.m.
- Just in time for exam season, join Nathan Reeve and a team of peer wellness educators as they help you discover new ways to effectively manage your time, balance your work and personal life -- and get your shit together! Not only will you feel better academically, you will also learn how getting organized impacts your overall well-being!
The Light at the End of the Tunnel: Getting Ready for Final Exams
- Learning Skills and Development– 6 to 7 p.m.
- This workshop helps students plan for and achieve a successful review of course content for final exams. Register through the Student Success Portal.
Preparing for Final Exams Workshop
- Transition and Learning Services – 7 to 8 p.m.
- Create a final exam study plan, explore effective study methods, review stress management techniques and avoid procrastination triggers.
Wilf's Open Mic
- Students' Union – 9 to 10 p.m.
- Join us to watch Open Mic Live on Instagram. If you'd like to perform, check out @wilfsopenmic on Instagram to sign up in advance.
Tuesday, Dec. 8
Mindfulness
- Wellness Education – 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.
- In this workshop, you will learn how to start practising mindfulness, as well as learn centring exercises, strategies for focusing during times of stress and mindful eating.
The Light at the End of the Tunnel: Getting Ready for Final Exams
- Learning Skills and Development – 2 to 3 p.m.
- This workshop helps students plan for and achieve a successful review of course content for final exams. Register through the Student Success Portal.
Spill the Tea: Keeping your Sh*t Together
- Wellness Education – 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.
- Join some of our Peer Wellness Educators as they share how they are staying well this year. Spill the Tea is a space to share, a space to learn and a space to connect with other students. Learn how other students are trying their best to manage everything and share some of your own strategies too.
"Power Hour" Study Session with LOCUS and Academic Coaches
- LOCUS and Transition and Learning Services – 7 to 9 p.m.
- Drop-in and join Peer Academic Coaches and LOCUS Dons at any point throughout the session to get to work and Study On. Sometimes it's hard to find the motivation to start a study session - we get it! This is a perfect opportunity for those who know what they have to do, but need some motivation to get started. We'll start with a goal for the Power Hour, study for 45 minutes, and then take a stretch break before we start the next hour.
BINGO with Twan
- Students' Union – 9 to 10 p.m.
- Join Twan for a virtual Vine Bingo night. To participate and access both your card and Twan's Twitch Livestream, visit the event listing here.
Wednesday, Dec. 9
The Light at the End of the Tunnel: Getting Ready for Final Exams
- Learning Skills and Development – 10 to 11 a.m.
- This workshop helps students plan for and achieve a successful review of course content for final exams. Register through the Student Success Portal.
Getting Your Sh*t Together
- Wellness Education – 1 to 2 p.m.
- Just in time for exam season, join Nathan Reeve and a team of peer wellness educators as they help you discover new ways to effectively manage your time, balance your work and personal life – and get your shit together! Not only will you feel better academically, but you will also learn how it impacts your overall well-being!
Thursday, Dec. 10
AMA: Finals Addition!
- Learning Skills and Development – 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- All students are invited to ask Learning Skills and Development anything about final papers and exams on Twitter @lbwritelearn! We will also be sharing resources and strategies throughout the day.
Pawsitive Puppy Hour with Leonard the French Bulldog
- Wellness Education – 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.
- Join our counsellor Stephanie Dinsmore and her puppy, Leonard, to discuss ways to practice self-care with our furry friends. Learn how to interact with your pet to self-soothe, promote relaxation and ease stress before final exams.
Graduate Writing Group
- Learning Skills and Development – 4 to 6 p.m.
- Open to Brantford Campus graduate students, staff and faculty. This group session provides participants with time to work on academic writing in a supportive community environment.Live Classroom is accessible through the Learning Skills and Development Online course on MyLearningSpace.
CSEDI Study Space
- Centre for Student Equity, Diversity and Inclusion – 6:30 to 9 p.m.
- Join us at this open zoom study room! There will be background beats, motivational messaging and giveaways. Register at any time to get the zoom link in your inbox. Please email lburrows@wlu.ca for questions and accessibility requests.
Move to Chill
- Wellness Education – 7 to 8 p.m.
- As a result of the pandemic, many of us are finding ourselves engaged in prolonged screen time and feeling its effects within our bodies. Using both intentional and freeform movement with dance and music elements, we will explore ways we can step away from our work and mindfully connect with our physical bodies. This session intends to create a space for you to flow through a series of movements. We will also share strategies and tools to support you through this virtual time. This space will provide the opportunity to engage and connect with others in the Laurier community. This is an inclusive class for all bodies and abilities.
Friday, Dec. 11
"Power Hour" Study Session with LOCUS and Academic Coaches
- LOCUS and Transition and Learning Services – 2 to 4 p.m.
- Drop-in and join Peer Academic Coaches and LOCUS Dons at any point throughout the session to get to work and Study On. Sometimes it's hard to find the motivation to start a study session - we get it! This is a perfect opportunity for those who know what they have to do, but need some motivation to get started. We'll start with a goal for the Power Hour, study for 45 minutes, and then take a stretch break before we start the next hour.
Recorded Content
Learn how to make a study schedule, replicate Wilf's famous spin dip in your own kitchen, grab a stretch break in between study sessions and more by viewing the following videos.
Strategies for Effective Studying
- Elaboration
- Concrete Examples
- Retrieval Practice
- Dual Coding
- Spaced Practice
- Interleaving
- Creating a Final Exam Study Plan
- Focused Study Sessions: The "Power Hour"
Fuel for Success
Move for Success
- Stretch Break
- Healthy Hawks Fitness (workout video playlist)