After four years of lectures, co-op terms, and a lot of caffeinated study sessions, I’ve learned one thing: studying for finals is less about suffering and more about strategy. Now that I’m almost graduated, here are the tips, spots, and study tactics that have gotten me through many exam seasons. 

Best Campus Study Spots  

🌿 EV3 (Plant Wall Energy) 

EV3 provides a great study spot with lots of outlets! Natural light, the plant wall (a personal selling point for me!), and a calm energy make it perfect for longer, focused sessions. It’s ideal when you want quiet productivity without full library intensity. As a bonus, you can pop by the EV3 cafe for a quick snack! 

📚 St. Jerome’s Library 

The hidden gem. It’s cozy, quiet, and way less chaotic than some of the larger libraries during peak exam season. If you need deep focus and minimal distractions, this is your spot. 

☀️ EV1 Courtyard 

The EV1 Courtyard has tons of natural light, which makes it a great spot when you’re craving sunshine. It’s bright, open, and energizing, perfect for reviewing notes, doing flashcards, or powering through a practice test while still feeling connected to the world beyond your laptop. 

📖 Dana Porter Study Rooms 

For when you need to feel motivated by other people around you, the library is a great place to lock in! Booking a study room can also help hold you accountable to your study session. My favourite study room is the one on floor 6, with comfy chairs, whiteboard space, and lots of room. 

Off-Campus Study Spots 

📖 Kitchener Public Library 

The main branch of the Kitchener Public Library is criminally underrated. Quiet floors, big desks, and zero campus chaos. Great for essay writing days. 

🫖 Seven Shores Cafe 

Seven Shores Cafe is perfect for light review sessions. Good drinks, lots of seating, and just enough background noise. As a bonus, they always make fun seasonal drinks and have fresh-baked goods! 

🌙 Midnight Run Cafe 

Midnight Run Cafe is for when you romanticize studying. Calming energy, cozy atmosphere, and they make great treats!  

Study Methods That Actually Work

🍅 The Pomodoro Method 

25 minutes on, 5 minutes off. Repeat. It sounds simple, but it’s a lifesaver when you don’t feel like starting. Tell yourself you only have to focus for 25 minutes. Suddenly, you’re three rounds in and productive. 

🧠 Blurting 

One of my memorization holy grails. Read a section, close your notes, and write down everything you remember. Then check what you missed. It forces active recall and shows you exactly what you don’t know. 

🔄 Spaced Repetition  

Don’t just reread. Cycle back to older material every few days. Your brain loves repetition over time, and this is essential for storing information in your long-term memory. 

📝 Cue Cards 

Digital cue cards on Quizlet or Anki are lifesavers. With digital cue cards, you can study between classes, while taking the bus, and the sky is the limit.  

🎓 Final Fourth-Year Advice 

• You don’t need a 12-hour study day to succeed. Learn to manage your time and study efficiently! 
• Quality > quantity. 
• Studying somewhere new can completely change your mood and motivate you. 
• It’s okay if this exam season looks different than others. 
• You are allowed to rest.

Most importantly: finals feel huge right now, but they’re one chapter in a much bigger story. Do your best, take care of yourself, and remember that you’ve made it this far for a reason. 

See you on the other side of exam season. 💛 

Alexandra Minard 

Communications Assistant