It's that time of year again: Finals. And unless you're one of the lucky few who doesn't have any, you're trying to remember why you even attend college at this point. There are plenty of tips out there to help you get ready for finals. Most of them involve studying hard all semester. But for those of you that have a maniacal teacher who expects you to remember an ungodly amount of information, those of you that let that ISS class slide for a little too long – we've all been there. Or if you just haven't studied as much as you needed to all semester, I have you covered. You're just going to need to do a little more this week, than you have all semester long.
Make sure your Starbucks account is loaded. It better be as ready as you are for the longest week of the semester.
Cancel your Netflix account. Or get someone to change the password. You don't have to do it yourself. Or you can close your eyes while you click. But do it. Get it over with. It's necessary and Grey's will forgive you when you come running back into its loving arms in a week.
Have Jimmy Johns on speed dial. What more perfect study snack is there? Maybe its freaky fastness will transfer to your note taking.
Download the Self Control app onto your laptop. It blocks the sites you pick for a set period of time, that you decide on. You can set it anywhere from 20 minutes to power out a practice quiz, or all day, to get some serious studying done.
Tell bae you'll talk to them later. If they can't handle you during finals week, they don't deserve you any other week. Bye Bye Bye.
Find a place where you can actually focus on your studying. It's probably not your dorm room, sorority or fraternity house, or apartment. These places surround you by entirely too many distractions, and most of them include your bed. The library may seem more like a trap during this time of year, but it might be the trap that you need to pass. You can try study rooms in your dorm, or a nearby coffee place. Basically anywhere you wouldn't normally want to go on the weekend.
Switch up your location. You may actually go crazy if you study multiple days in a row in the same place. Hit up the Union today, if you went to club lib yesterday.
Take breaks for your sanity. If you're sitting there staring at the same sentence for an extended period of time, looking hopelessly at a blank word document, or slowly becoming depressed while looking at notecards, it might be a sign you need a quick break. Walk around, get a coffee, visit friends who are studying on the second floor, or go to a secluded room and scream (or save that for midnight). Whatever takes your mind off of the misery that is Biochem for a few minutes, will help you start fresh, when you head back to your desk after some much needed relief.
Eat something. Hopefully healthy(ish). Whether you're not eating because the Adderall has been kicking in all day, or because you're stressed, take some time out of your day to find a healthy snack. (Jimmy Johns counts – it contains vegetables). There is a 100% chance you will start questioning your sanity by Tuesday ,solely due to your main consumption of coffee.
Exercise. And not just the walk of shame you'll take to your exam. Use some time during the busy week to hit the gym. The energy and focus it gives you and the improvement to your mood will make up for the time you spent there. So don't worry too much if you don't think you can fit 45 minutes into your schedule. Take your aggression out on the treadmill.
Sleep. Not too much. Not too little. We all know how productive we are when we try to concentrate on too few hours of sleep. Just refer to every Wednesday morning class all semester, after half-off Tuesday nights. Studies say that you function your best with over six hours of sleep. If you get enough sleep the night before, you won't have to be throwing back your third coffee by 3 P.M., and you won't get the jitters or the crash that soon follows.
Finish strong and look forward to how hard you're going to celebrate when it's over.
