Everyone knows that the last three or four weeks of a semester are the busiest, most stressful weeks of the year. With tons of projects, papers and tests, these weeks often seem impossible to get through. As every college student knows, finals = stress.
We all know the stress of upcoming finals, but it often seems uncontrollable. The big question is how to keep this stress from taking control of your life. While you may think the solution is to work crazy hours until everything is finished, this is probably the worst thing you can do.
Instead of working yourself to death for a few weeks, here are a few tips on how to stay on top of your semester and beat stress.
1. Plan Ahead.
While this tip may seem obvious, it is rare that college students use their time wisely. In 2007, psychologist Dr. Piers Steel reported that somewhere from 80 to 95 percent of college-age students procrastinate throughout the year. This is one of the top reasons that students turn in inadequate or incomplete assignments.
For those of you who are like me and struggle to think really far ahead on assignments, it could be a good idea for you to sit down and create a calendar with assignment due dates for each month. Having everything laid out in a way that is easy to see, makes it much easier to see what weeks working ahead will be necessary.
2. Study with a Friend.
While some of us may struggle to focus when studying with classmates, for many this is a much more relaxed environment for studying. By working with other people, you are more likely to thoroughly understand difficult material, and being around other people can help make studying more enjoyable.
3. Sleep.
While many students choose to stay up studying rather than get a reasonable amount of sleep (around 8 hours), studies have shown that those extra study hours are outweighed by the higher level of mental awareness you gain from sleep. So whether you need to squeeze in a nap or go to bed earlier to get this extra sleep, make sure you are well rested when studying.
4. Take a Break.
When you begin having trouble focusing or retaining information, it is a good idea to give yourself a break. Whether you do this by having a snack, tossing a Frisbee or going for a walk, take some of the pressure off of your brain for a few minutes. This works best if you can do some sort of physical exercise.
This finals week, remember to take a nap and go easy on yourself. The best way to rock finals week is to keep from overworking yourself in the weeks leading up to it.
