It’s that wonderful time of year again, filled with mountain weekend’s and semi formals. But besides all of the fun, it’s also the time that every college student dreads about, annually. Yup, you guessed it -- finals week. Finals week occur when every college student gathers in the library for two weeks straight, running on minimal sleep and food intake, and attempt to "cram study" for every final exam approaching. Admitting, my first and second years of finals were doing just that; and although I might have gotten the grades, my body and my mind were paying for the damage done. Come on, there’s such an easier way to prepare yourself for these finals, mentally and physically.
Create A Morning Routine
Starting now, try to make and keep a solid morning routine. Having a stress-free, positive mindset every morning guarantees for a less stressful day. For starters, try waking up early, reading a good book to get your brain working, eat a healthy breakfast, and maybe even go for a morning jog. The earlier you wake up, the better outcome of your successful day.
Breakfast
Speaking of a healthy breakfast, it is very important to eat breakfast every morning and a healthy one at that. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and allows you to get energized and your brain prepared.
Even if this exercise is just walking to class instead of driving, make sure you get your body moving and your heart rate up at least once a day. Exercising, no matter what you do, allows your body to release those lovely endorphins which make you happier and less stressed.
Start Studying Now
Cramming is horrible! It’s every college students’ way of procrastinating -- hard. Cramming does nothing good for you but allows you to memorize the information for the test. Ask yourself, “Why did I pay $8,000 to just memorize and not actually learn anything this semester?" Yeah, don’t be that guy. Cramming, along with being extremely stressful, can make you draw blanks during big tests causing you to forget everything you memorized. Here’s a better tip -- start studying now. A good way to ace those finals is to start preparing early and to spend those last few weeks reviewing what you’ve already been studying. Try studying for one class each day for just one hour out of the day (you can replace it with your social media time).
Treat Yo Self
As Tom Haverford once said “Treat Yo Self,” and he wasn’t lying. Especially preparing for finals, you need to treat yourself to something, whether it’s getting ice-cream, going shopping or getting a fresh mani-pedi, every college student needs to reward themselves for all of the hard work they’ve been doing throughout the semester.
Go to Bed
College students don’t get enough sleep as it is, but during finals week they barely even go to sleep. Try to go to bed early and get a good six to eight hours so that you’re fully functional for the day. Sleep is your body’s way of recovering and it is vital to get substantial amounts of sleep every night. Also, getting the right amount of sleep will give you natural energy so you won’t need those artificial energizers.
Put Down the Adderall and Caffeine
Although Adderall is seen as the "Wonder Pill" for college students, if you’re not prescribed, there’s no reason to be taking it. Our bodies are great machines that know what they’re doing. Adderall has numerous side effects that can really toggle with your body and mind like depression, loss of appetite, and difficulty falling asleep. Caffeine, on the other hand, can cause you to have irregular sleeping hours, become addicted or dependent on it, and fatigue. But, if you use my previous tips, you will have no reason to turn towards these alternatives!
Go Outside
Fresh air is a beautiful thing and is a great stress reliever. Try to make time to go outside during the day, even if it’s just for a walk, it will clear your head and will put you in a more positive mood.
As dreadful as exams are, these are just a few ways that you start your final exam preparation early so that you won’t be sucked into the stressful and unproductive, final exam week, cram session. Once you start using these few tips, it will be easy to make your own tips on how to be successful not only during exam week, but throughout your college career in general.
