My first year of college has been the most stressful school year, by far, of my entire life. The classes are hard, the newfound independence is hard, everything is hard. I have to worry about papers and finals and other miscellaneous homework assignments that my professors are throwing at me. I find that I have almost no time to do anything other that work and, even when I only focus on school, I still feel like I am behind. There is always some other assignment to do or some other meeting to go to. The first year of college is hard, especially during exam week, but there are a few things that every freshman needs to remember to keep from going insane.
1. Stay on top of everything.
Staying organized is essential in the coming weeks. Forgetting to study a certain topic on your final or not writing an essay by the deadline will set you back majorly. It is easy to get overwhelmed but if you have a study plan and an agenda to keep a written account of all of your assignments, then you will be just fine.
2. Take breaks.
Yes, it sounds like a great idea to study nonstop and to pull as many all-nighters as possible in order to make that grade. Yes, working as much and as hard as possible is ideal in these last few weeks. Getting that paper done in one sitting or spending an entire day studying for just one class would be great but this is not realistic. You are kidding yourself if you think that taking a break will kill your study flow and result in failing your exams. On the contrary, breaks are good for your mental health and allow you to come back to your study material more refreshed.
3. Get some sleep.
Sleep is a necessity. If you don’t sleep, you are essentially screwing yourself out of maintaining your sanity. Sleep helps reinforce everything you learned and studied for the day before; it is a form of studying that you need to take time to do.
4. Remember that you are doing the best you can.
Yes, these last few weeks are stressful. You will always feel like you aren’t studying enough or staying at the library for long enough. You will try to overexert yourself in order to boost your grades. But, just remember that you are doing your best and there is no way you can work harder than that.
5. Breathe
Every once in a while, just take a second to stop and think about something not having to do with finals and papers and academics. Focus on everything you have accomplished this past year. Though it seems like time flew between when you first arrived on campus on move-in day and now, you have done a lot here. You finished almost two semesters of classes. You made life-long friends. You made amazing memories that you will never forget. Just take a moment every so often to breathe.
