Finals.
The one word that college students both hate and love at the same time. Finals are exciting because it means a long break is about to begin, but it also can be sad because it means a long time away from your college friends. If you're anything like me, you will start stressing for finals two weeks before they even begin - even if it's unnecessary. No matter how you're feeling, here are some tips that can help you get through finals week.
1. Find your favorite place to study.
Whether you're living on or off campus one of the best things you can do to make sure you study better is to find a comfortable place. Whether it's your favorite tree, like Rory Gilmore has, or your favorite cafe, you'll automatically have the motivation to do more if you're happy and content in an area where you can focus.
2. Get organized.
Not all of us are as lucky as Blair Waldorf who has minions to do all of her work, but Blair does teach us some necessary skills, and that's to get organized. Having a check list, old exams in order, and study guides for each class will definitely get you prepared to review all of the material from the past semester.
3. Study in chunks / groups.
One of the best ways to do well on your finals is to start studying early. I've found that if I start studying for a test early, even for just 45 minutes a day, I am able to retain the information so much better. Another way to get by a tough exam is by studying with your fellow classmates. While we all don't have McDreamy to help guide us through our education, we still can benefit by this method. By doing this you can gather a new perspective on information you might not understand, or actually figure out what's going on in class if you "accidentally" missed too many, or weren't paying attention. By the night before the test you just have to review, and it's a lot more manageable.
4. Take a break.
Lastly, one of the best things we all can do for ourselves when we're stressed is to take a break. I don't recommend going out the night before a huge exam, in fact, don't do that. But what I am saying is get together with a group of friends and just hang out. Make a couple hours of your day not dedicated to studying so that your brain can calm itself down. After all, we all must embrace our inner Michael Scott.
Good luck on all your exams! :)
