If I were you...

Does anybody believe that you can lose 10 pounds in a day? Probably not (unless you give birth or chop off a leg!). How about running a marathon? Can you run a marathon today without having trained at all before? It's highly unlikely that you would make it to the finish line.

However, how about 10 pounds in 10 weeks? Or how about running a marathon in six months, after preparation? This seems more reasonable. Many goals in life are not attained in a quick burst but rather through time and discipline. Learning a language is one of these goals. (Do you like my thesis here? How about my introduction?)

If I were you (but I'm not, of course), I would start preparing for finals NOW. Every day between now and finals I would review one chapter from UEG. I would also review the parts that we didn't cover in class--those sections on nouns, pronouns, and articles that you've learned before but could use a refresher course on. This review will help you NOT ONLY for our final exam BUT ALSO for the MICHIGAN test, and more importantly, for the TOEFL. Reviewing the material (do you like my reduced adverb clause?), you will get a good idea of just how much you have learned and you will feel satisfied (or overwhelmed, your choice).

A disciplined approach to studying is the best method. This leaves you feeling prepared and confident rather than frazzled and nervous. Give yourself enough time to prepare for big exams. If you eat the meal in small courses with time in between, the food gets digested properly. If you eat the entire meal in a short period of time without taking the time to rest, you get sick! The goal is DIGESTION!