One of my roommates at school was mad that I already brought up finals period because she said I was inducing too much stress in discussing exams that are over a month away!

But I figured it was better to start talking about ways to prepare now so that we don't all get stressed out later on in the month. With Halloween week over it means that two of the most cherished holidays aren't too far away- Thanksgiving and Christmas time. I personally know that I want to have little to no work over the Thanksgiving break in addition to needing a week to breath and relax after (which happens to be the last week of classes).

Taking all of that into consideration, it is best to start preparing to study for finals now- if you are reading this do not worry! These five simple and easy-to-follow steps will do the exact opposite of stress you out: they will help you avoid the first week of December mental breakdown that we college students typically experience.

1. Purchase a calendar or use the calendar in your planner.

Having a calendar is essential when planning for finals. If you want to go a little overboard (like me) you may end up wanting to color code the entire thing- with different colors for different classes and assignments.

2. Outline what day is your last day of classes, all of the assignments you have coming up after Thanksgiving, and the days and times of your Final Exams.

Honestly, the only reason I suggest doing this is so you know when you finally get to go home for Christmas break. I get a piece of mind knowing how much of my break will be taken up on campus as well as thinking about how long I'll get to be home for Christmas.

3. Purchase Index Cards.

I always, always, always run out of index cards. I use them for pretty much all of my exams- they are easy to study with on the go and they are an easy way to help to study early without having to do too much work.

4. Make sure that you have the notes from all of your classes this semester.

If you missed a class make sure to ask one of your classmates for the notes! Waiting until the last second to do this is going to leave you really stressed and is also going to really bother your classmates- they have their own final exams to worry about. Do this early, organize your notes, and make sure that they are all there.

5. Create a good study playlist.

Study playlists will definitely be needed for those all-night cram sessions in the library. Figure out what kind of music is good for you to listen to when studying for exams- I personally opt for a country playlist.