1. Start early.
Finals week is a lot less stressful if you start your studying before the craziness of the week begins. The earlier you start studying, the easier it is during the week to maintain a schedule that includes important things like eating, sleeping, and not losing your mind due to cramming and information overload. My advice: schedule an hour/ two hour block of study time a couple of times in the week before finals week! You know your work load/schedule than anyone else, so take the time to schedule these pro-active study times before you're going on hour 48 in Hodge's library.
2. Take breaks.
Finals week is truly an overwhelming thing. Although it is important to dedicate a considerable amount of time to your studying, it is beneficial to your overall emotional, mental, social and physical well being to take breaks in your studying. It's OK to take a break, I promise! In fact, there has been research that shows the importance of taking 15-minute breaks within studying. I personally like to study for around three hours, then take a break to eat dinner or lunch with a friend, and then hit the books again! You can even take a break to watch a Christmas movie or just drive around town.
3. Split your time fairly.
We have all experienced the dreaded two finals in one day at least once in our time as college students. We all know, it's actually the worst. To combat the stress that this brings, make sure that you spend a fair amount of time studying both of your subjects. If one is a lot harder, start earlier in your studying, but don't let just one of the subjects get all of your attention. It isn't beneficial to get an A on one final and an F on the other.
4. Do what helps YOU.
Finals week is truly a blur. There is an array of options: study groups, review sessions, one-on-one tutoring, office hours, making flash cards, going over power points, memorizing information... it really never ends. All of these can be good options, but it really depends on what will actually help you. Don't feel bad passing on a review session if you know it'll help you more to do practice problems on your own! It's ok to go against the flow if it means you're choosing the most beneficial option for you.
5. Dance it out.
The last way to survive finals week is simple. DANCE IT OUT. Inspired by Meredith Grey and Christina Yang, this tactic always works. Take a five minute break and dance with your study partner, your roomies, heck.. dance with your professor! Play some rap music, some J.Biebs or your favorite Christmas playlist, sing loud and dance hard. It'll help you shake it off.
