Thanksgiving break is always a nice time to be home catch up and spend time with family and friends, eating delicious Thanksgiving dinners, and if you dare, going Black Friday shopping. After relaxing and watching the Macy’s Day Parade while overstuffed with Thanksgiving dessert, you eventually have to come back to campus, and are forced to face the impending doom that is finals week.
While finals may be a week or two away for some people, it’s never too early to start planning and prepping for that long week.
1. Get all your notes together and don’t procrastinate!
If your final is fact based and on material from the second half of the semester, or is a cumulative final, then try and collect all your notes, and order them by date. Go highlight the important and key points that were made during lectures and readings. Don’t procrastinate on getting yourself organized, either—the sooner you put everything together, the smoother studying will be. Also, don’t procrastinate from doing the research for that 10 page paper that counts for a quarter of your final grade. Try and get a head start so that it makes the whole process much easier.
2. Study in an environment that is not distracting.
While I love the comfort of my bed and can sometimes be a great place for me to write or review my notes, I don’t concentrate as much. I find that when I’m studying at a table at the library or on the couch, upright, in my apartment, that I remember and concentrate much better. I keep my phone face down and only use it if I’m listening to music it through it.
3. Don’t be afraid to ask for help both mentally and academically.
Finals are stressful; between all the projects, studying, and papers, it can get very overwhelming. Don’t be afraid to talk about it with a professor or someone on campus you trust. Don’t hold in how you’re feeling or any of your frustrations. Asking for help from friends and professors really helps me out when I’m studying for finals or trying to perfect the paper that counts as my final for the class. Friends give you a different outlook and point of view when reading your papers and they can be great study buddies. Going to professors and asking questions will also help you and clarify any confusion that you may have had in class.
4. Don’t pull an all-nighter!
The days before finals are usually more than hectic than they are during the semester. Your days are busy and jam-packed with class, meetings, and appointments. But try and set some time in the day where you can sit down and study, even if it’s just for half an hour. Don’t fill yourself up on coffee or Monster at 12am and crank and jam every term, phrase, or concept before your 8:30am exam or presentation. I find all-nighters more harmful than helpful. You lost the sleep you could have been getting, you don’t retain or remember what you studied, and you’re feeling like crap from the energy crash and lack of sleep.
5. Take breaks and have some fun.
Studying takes a lot of energy out of you and will definitely make you tired. Take breaks after you finish studying a major section or feel that you have retained enough information. Go take a nap, go to bed, get something to eat, go on Facebook, or Skype with someone back home. But don’t drive yourself crazy from studying all day or for hours on end. Take a day to just relax and do something fun. Go out to dinner, go see a movie, go hang out with your friends. You deserve the break and the relaxation before the craziness of finals week starts.
Finals week is one of the scariest and most stressful for a college student at any year or age. But you have to try and keep calm. Stressing too much over your grades can be extremely detrimental to your personal health and how you do on your finals. Don’t be afraid to vent or get out your frustrations and stress by talking with someone you trust. And of course, good luck! You can get through these next couple of weeks—just think of the long, relaxing winter break that awaits!
