Good evening everyone!
Tonight I wanted to quickly talk about a lovely topic…called finals week. Yes, Christmas is coming, and yes, it is “the most wonderful time of year”, but for college students, it is usually the hardest month. I have a few tips up my sleeve from 3 years of experience, I hope they somehow help you and if you have finals, you got this! Believe in yourself.
- Start as early as possible. I know this may seem too straightforward, but it is so easy to procrastinate and not do work until the day before it is due. The only person who will lose from that is yourself. I was there as a freshmen. Yes I studied, but now looking back I know I could have started earlier to avoid the all-nighters.
- Prepare. Get yourself together a week or two before finals, lay out a plan, and stick with it. I usually sit down a few weekends before finals and see how everything looks. If its anything like this year, I had a long paper, a project, and two written exams. A few weeks ago, I have a draft due for my project, so instead of just writing what was assigned, I finished the whole assignment. Yes, I probably could have found other things to do, but I saved myself 10 hours that I really don’t have the day before the project is due. I have been working on my paper for about two weeks, and all I want to leave for finals week is my tests, which have a set time.
- Don’t leave reading to the last minute. Reading throughout the semester is the best thing you can do in a class that requires you to need substantial amounts. Its never smart to leave unread readings to finals week. Slow and steady wins the race!
- Clean your desk space. This one may depend if you study at your dorm or somewhere on campus, but a clean desk to me is a clean mind. Set everything up and take away an wrappers, trash, or unnecessary items.
- Find friends. Sometimes it is easier to focus when people around you are super focused. Friends can be a distraction, but they can also help make studying just a little bit easier.
- Drink water and eat as healthy as you can. This is important because I find myself skipping meals and drinking way to much coffee, which won’t help your studying at all. If you can, avoid coffee and drink tea. You don’t want to get a headache when you need to focus. Fuel your body with good foods.
- Go to the gym. With time pressure and way too many assignments, it is easy to forget about what our bodies need. Take a 15 minute study break and let your mind unwind. Trust me, after the gym and a nice shower your brain and body will thank you.
- Make a list. This isn’t for everyone, but making lists is very satisfying to me, as I can check things off as I have done them. It helps you feel good and keep track of everything you have done and still need to finish.
- Make a new playlist. I can’t study with music, but I know my friends love too. My best friend loves to listen to music she doesn’t know by heart, so it isn’t distracting. That way you are able to have background noise but not have it completely distract you.
- Sleep. Yes, sleep. You read that right. I have pulled the all-nighters, and walked to a test like a zombie who just came out of a scary movie. I have went in my pjs, and hair in a state. Well, the no sleep thing didn’t help me at ALL. The best lesson my dad ever taught me was to sleep before exams, as your mind needs to process everything you learned, and then when you wake up, you know your material and feel refreshed.
- Spend your weekend effectively. For some, a good use of time on a Saturday is to study, while for others they need a day to rest. Plan your weekend ahead of time, and don’t forget to add “me-time” in there. Whether that’s going out to dinner, putting on a face mask, or ordering way to much catering food from your school, don’t forget about yourself. It is very important to not think about exams and essays for a few hours so you don’t feel defeated at the end.
- Dress to feel like the best version of yourself. When I wear sweats, I feel horrible inside. When I wear a dress and some nice booties, I live my best life. Whatever puts you in a happy mood, do that. You want to be in a happy mood before an exam.
- Remind yourself, its just a test. Don’t stress too much, because if you do, it won’t help your outcome. Be as positive as possible!
I hope you found these tips helpful, and I wish everyone luck during finals week!
Come back tomorrow for more content!
p.s. When does your school have finals week?
