We go through this every semester and somehow we make it through, even if we have no idea how.
And if you're a freshman and this is your first time, I hope that you are successful and that whatever happens, you use this as a learning experience, and that you take care of yourself!
As a junior, this is what has worked for me and is my personal advice for surviving finals week. I hope that it helps! 'Cause we can do this.
1. Cut yourself some slack
It's so easy to be hard on yourself, especially if you are a student with high expectations for your academic performance or if you feel the stakes are high with presentations, end-of-semester assignments, and the most stressful, in my opinion, exams. It's only going to make your anxiety worse if you put that unnecessary pressure on yourself, so please be gentle with yourself and practice good self-care.
2. Get some rest
But you are not going to succeed if you don't get at least a little bit of sleep during finals week. Your brain is guaranteed to have a harder time remembering all the information you're studying if you are sleep-deprived. It's psychologically proven.
Make time for sleep, as tempting as it may seem to pull an all-nighter. You will NOT be able to function the next day, and running on nothing but caffeine and fumes is setting yourself up for a crash and burn real fast.
Even a power nap is better than nothing.
3. Remember to eat
Speaking of good self-care, please remember to fuel your body. Make time for breakfast and if you can't do that, then pack some snacks, preferably healthy ones.
Like all-nighters, junk food is so tempting, but you need to take care of your body. This includes fueling your body with some form of nutrition.
4. Treat yourself
After a study session or finishing a paper, reward yourself! Buy yourself that fun beverage, or a hot chocolate or tea if coffee isn't your thing. Just something yummy to brighten up your day.
Or maybe take yourself out to lunch somewhere fun. Watch an episode or two of your favorite Netflix show. See a movie with a friend. Whatever the
Reward yourself for all of that hard work you're putting in to finish the semester strong.
5. Plan and prioritize
It's easy to fall out of good study habits as the semester progresses, but if anything, we need to practice those good time-management skills more at the end of the semester since there is so much to do!
Get back to using your planner, and if you don't have a planner, print out a calendar from online. Make lists, prioritize, and complete the tasks that need doing first, since they're the ones that are due first. It'll feel so good crossing off tasks as you do them and it'll feel even better when you're all done!
6. Keep a positive attitude and believe in yourself
It may seem impossible, but the time will pass regardless of whether or not we get everything done. With this in mind, we might as well try and stay positive. This stressful time will all be over eventually, we'll pass the classes, get the credits, and feel beyond relieved. You made it this far, try and hang in there.
7. Remember that your GPA is just a number
College is filled with some incredibly difficult courses and some pretty easy ones for that matter. These classes push us to think out of the box and develop strong analytical skills so that we can learn to problem solve in the real world after graduation.
It's important to be mindful of it for various opportunities in school and for different organizations and memberships, but it is NOT the end of the world if you don't do as well as you wanted or expected yourself to; which ties into Tip #1: cut yourself some slack and be gentle with yourself.
Do your best and try your best, but don't be mean to yourself.
8. You are more than a number
You are so much more than your GPA. You are not a number. You are a person. Remember that and remember to enjoy the ride. Life is about the journey, NOT the destination.
These are my personal tips and I hope they work for you. We WILL get through this, I pinky promise.
