“Don’t know where this semester went. Don’t know how I survived 18 credits this long. Don’t know how the heck I am supposed to take four exams in one day. Don’t know how I am going to get through finals week.”

If any of these thoughts are going through your head, you’re NOT alone! I am going insane wondering if I am going to pass all, if any, of my finals. However, one thing I do know is the fact that I got this far, and so did all of you. Surviving finals is not the end of the world, just heightened stress. The one thing that is most important to remember about finals is the fact that they don’t make-or-break you. If you have been having a tough semester, acing the final won’t give you the grade you want. In the contrary, if you have been rocking the semester don’t pull your hair out when you don’t get 100% on the final. These 10 tips will get you through this week of hell, and will (hopefully) reduce the stress of college students this year.

1. START STUDYING NOW.

They call it Dead Week for a reason (at Washington State University Anyways…). This means that if you want to reduce your stress during finals week, you have got to bust out all that last minute homework and assignments. A huge problem I seem to have is the fact that I don’t find it urgent to study for exams until the night before. I can never seem to pay attention long enough studying for a test that is more than a week away. What I have learned, however, is that it is very productive to switch between subjects’ multiple times a night while studying. Review for the exams that are early in finals week first, and study them together.

2. DO NOT STRAY AWAY FROM YOUR ROUTINE.

I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to continue your routine. If you go to the gym on a regular basis, don’t stop in order to study. Study at the gym (I make Quizlets *wink wink*). Eat how you normally eat. Don’t start eating healthy on finals week because it will make you “smarter.” No. Just make more of an effort for your studies, but don’t throw away your other priorities because it will just confuse you and stress you out even more.

3. GO TO THE OFFICE HOURS.

This should be common sense. Professors have office hours ALL week of finals week for a reason. If you begin all your study guides, and review sessions the week before finals, you can then go into your professors’ office hours the following week and verify the material that you know and ask questions about the material you are confused about.

4. LISTEN TO YOURSELF.

Look back on how you studied for past exams, and look back on the grades you received. If you pulled an all-nighter before an exam and you aced it, you aced it for a reason. If you crammed before the last exam and aced it, you aced it for a reason. The only difference is the fact that you have five exams, all different subjects, all in one week. That’s why I cannot stress enough how important it is to start reviewing early. You can still pull your all-nighters, and cram before the exam, but don’t wait until the night before to look over the material that’s going to be on the final in the morning.

5. SOCIAL MEDIA

I am forever single and have about three friends so this is really not an issue for me, but it is for just about 99% of the college population. PUT YOUR PHONE AWAY. I always put mine on “Do Not Disturb” while I am studying. I always reward myself after an hour of studying by going on my phone for about 10-15 minutes because honestly, you can get through Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and texts within 15 minutes. Everyone else has to study for finals as well so if anything you're doing everyone else a favor as well if you just focus on your studies (I sound so lame---- I know).

6. PRIORITIZE

I always tend to prioritize my harder subjects over my simpler ones then get upset when I get mediocre grades on the simplest pre-req classes. It is important to prioritize your more difficult classes yes, but like I said before, throw an hour of studying/memorizing for other simpler classes to give yourself a break from the dense stuff. Not only will you be getting a breather while studying, you will also thank yourself when you do better on the exams that may be super easy, but still have a huge affect on your GPA.

7. COUNT DOWN THE DAYS

I have always been one to count down the days 'till Christmas, my birthday, or any social event honestly. Count down the days 'till each exam, packing for break, going back home, Christmas, (my birthday), New Years, and coming back for spring. It will actually give you something to look forward too and before you know it, finals will be over and you will be on your way home to your loving animals.

8. QUIZLET

Like I said previously, I make Quizlets like they are going out of style. I honestly think they are one of the best forms of studying because they are so easy! You can star the flashcards you don’t know very well, or make personal quizzes. You can get the app for your phone and study while at the gym or while at work. Very convenient if I do say so myself.

9. STUDY GROUPS

There are so many different opportunities within every university to be able to get together with a study group, especially if you are involved in Greek life or are an athlete. Studying with other people is so constructive because they could know other information that you need help on, vise versa. Mutual tutoring!

10. REWARD AND RELAX.

Honestly, I probably reward myself too much but relaxing is something I have a hard time with. It is so hard to relax during finals week when you think that your entire semester of hard work is going to be influenced by a single exam. Reward yourself with a Redbull, glass of wine, Hot Cheetos, hour of social media, a nap, whatever your heart desires. RELAX with those rewards and look forward to doing amazing on your final exams.

Have faith in yourself to do the best of your ability on your final exams. It is not the end of the world. They are very meager problems, if that. You have another 1-7 semesters of final exams so find what works for you and continue to strive to do your best. Go into the test rooms with confidence in yourself and excitement for break. After all, after this, you’re one step closer to that degree.