Finals Week is approaching quickly for college students. This practically means no sleep, abundant amounts of stress, and killer migraines. Preparing for finals is very stressful, but we cannot let stress stop us from getting the grade we deserve. Some tips to help you stay away from becoming a zombie, and pass those finals is..........
1. Sleep is a priority
Cramming nights and nights the week of finals is the worst possible thing to do. In order to prepare and pass your finals sleep is a necessity. You cannot cram the night before because thats when failure will occur. You NEED at least seven hours of sleep per night. To be fully prepared, sleep is the key! Although you think the more you stay up and study the better your grade will be, but thats not the case. Staying up and getting little to no sleep will stress you even more.
2. Count your way forward
You need to allow yourself time and not overlap yourself. Counting your way forward ensures that you study in advance so you can make your desired grade. If your class has been hard and you haven't understood everything, you should start studying a week before hand. To make sure you do not cram for the finals, counting your way forward will have that covered.
3. Figure out what will be covered
In order to study for the final you need to know whats on it. If the professor doesn't cover what the final is made up of in class, make sure you talk to them or email them so you can be prepared. You want to study for the information thats included and not the whole semesters work.
4. Organize
The best way to be prepared and ready for finals is organization. You need to get together your schedule of when, where, and what time your finals are. You also need to make a schedule of the week before finals to make sure you are splitting your time into each subject. This goes back to the "count your way" tip. Organizing your notes, binder, study guides, and times will relieve a huge amount of stress!
5. 50-10 rule
I know you will want to study hour after hour, but the best way to study is the 50-10 rule. You study for 50 minutes and take a 10 minute break. This gives you some down time to give your brain some time to rest for the next round. This is very important.
6. Get help
My colleges provide a student engagement department thats provides tutors, so if you are struggling in a class(es) you should go to tutoring. Also if you find that someone in the class understands the material, or its their strong point in school, ask for help. They will probably be more than willing to meet up with you outside of class to study with you!
7. Quiz yourself
A good study habit is to quiz yourself. The internet provides multiple websites that allow you to create quizzes, test, or flashcards. I love the website Quizlet, because I can put in questions, terms, detentions and it will make it into different types of test. It also provides the options of making them into flashcards or quizzing games. Explore your options so you can have the best study habits.
8. Motivation
The biggest motivation is your future. To have the career, house, or future you want you have to work for it. People who work for what they want end up with it. It can be hard, stressful, and not fun, but it is whats in store for you thats worth it! Before, during, and after studying you should continue to fill your brain with motivation. Look up motivational quotes or videos to keep yourself going. You can do it! You will be successful!
9. Relax
Relaxation is the best cure to a tired brain and a sore body. Take time for yourself to rejuvenate and keep yourself going. Take a power nap, or just lay in bed for a little bit. Although you love your phone, during your relaxation time you should stay off of any technology to give you brain a rest. At night before going to bed, take a small bath in warm to hot water to settle down for bed time, because it truly will help.
10. Make it fun
The best thing to do when studying for huge exams like this is to make it fun. Wether its group studying, study games, or just studying while making memes to remember the information, have fun. The more exciting you make studying the information, the more you will memorize it. Think about a time you were taking a test. Do you remember that the diagram currently presented on the test was on the board during the last class period, well it works the same with studying. If you make it fun, it will be easier to remember it during the final!
Always remember that you are stronger than you seem, braver than you believe, and smarter than you think! You can survive this stressful week, as long as, you don't let it get the best of you. If after this you don't get the grade you desired, don't give up, because there is more in store for you. Everything will be okay in the end, and if its not okay its not the end!
