Finals week is upon us. The library is packed, people are crying in the halls, they're sleeping in couches outside of their classrooms, and everyone is walking around like zombies running on two hours of sleep and five red bulls. It's crazy out there.
It is the time in the semester when your entire college realizes at the same moment that D Day has landed. Yeah, we should've listened to that last lecture and taken notes. Yes, you should've said no to going out instead of studying. And yes, you should have done the extra credit so that you didn't have your whole grade resting on this final exam. BUT, we're college students. We do stupid things. We procrastinate.
But, my friends, you don't have to worry any longer. This list is guaranteed (not really) to ensure that you will be most efficient during this tumultuous time. You'll make that A, graduate, maybe even become successful. Getting a good grade on your finals is the first step to anything.
So, as a senior, that has made many mistakes during multiple finals weeks, I am here to share my knowledge on what to avoid this week. Trust me.
1. Studying at the library
This sounds dumb. The library is made for this specific purpose! why wouldn't you study there for your finals?
"There are a thousand books on everything, and I could possibly learn more just by being surrounded by the knowledge that I somehow have to know by my chem final. Osmosis, ya know?"
No. You're wrong. Because just as you decided to go to the library to study, so did that girl down the hall that you hang with, and her boyfriend, and her boyfriends cute friend that you've been trying to get with since January. And of course once you see them you'll have to sit together, which will lead to a casual coffee run, which will lead to making plans for later that week, which then will lead to 2 a.m. coming around and though you might get a boyfriend, you know absolutely nothing about chemistry.
It's a slippery slope, so just find another study nook, where you can be alone to actually get things done. The boys and the social life can wait, and best guess he's probably an annoying college asshole anyway. No harm no foul.
2. Running out for food
Food runs my life. This is because food is amazing and the answer to all of life's problems, other than a fabulous margarita. But it is also a way that we all waste time.
Running out for food take a minimum of two hours. You have decide where to go, coax your friends into thinking they're hungry to, decide on the meal, pack up your studying materials to go to the car, get in the car, drive there, order, get it to go, go back to the library, unpack all of your stuff, eat, then figure out where you left off in your studying. That made me tired just writing that.
Food is a social experience, and aside from a bomb study group, socializing does not belong in a study session. Pack food beforehand to make sure you can accomplish your task. Even better, use food as a reward. I won't run for my health, but put a cream-filled donut at the end of the tunnel and I become a gold medalist in the 500-yard dash (or whatever that race is called). Use your love for Chipotle as incentive to actually get stuff done. That way you don't feel like a complete loser for wasting another two hours when you've actually accomplished nothing.
3. BuzzFeed/ Social Media
Everyone has their own unique social media addiction. I have a love or all things BuzzFeed and if I could be on one website for 24 hours straight that would be it. I can take a thousand quizzes on what kind of dog I am, or whether I'm more of a tomato or and onion, or what color hair my first-born child will have. It's my life blood, and my everything, and it will never get old to me.
But when you have a final tomorrow that you have studied zero for, BuzzFeed (or your specific go-to site) need to be as far from your radar as possible. I don't care if it is open in a different tab, it is a temptation you don't need to have. We are a generation that constantly is needing to be doing multiple things at once, but I promise you there will be no questions on your test pertaining to your last look into which short-haired dog breed is for you. Shut them down and focus on your stuff. BuzzFeed and social media will always be there, but if you flunk you test then it's not really going to matter.
4. Your phone
This has a lot to do with the fore-mentioned social media, but also has to do with our need to be constantly connected to the internet and the world around us. I know that everyone always has their phone on them, and I'm not saying throw it in the trash, but at the very least put it on airplane mode.
When you are in the dark day that is study day, you will try to find any excuse to not study. you will find yourself texting people you haven't in years, pretending like you need to call your mother, sending those emails that you meant to send weeks ago. One time I even used study time to clean out my inbox of 2,000 unread emails. Just for something to do.
Your phone is toxic to the study process, and will only waste time. A trick here is to do the same things people now do sometimes at the dinner table. Have your entire study group stack their phones in the center, the first person who grabs for their phone also agrees to buy coffee (or your caffeinated beverage of choice) for the group. Two birds, one stone, hold the applause.
5. Procrastination
The bug kahuna, and the bane of every college kids existence. This is one word that will single-handedly lead to your failure. And it is something that we all have to deal with every single semester.
I myself am no stranger to the word. In fact, I have been dubbed by my friends as the Queen of Procrastination. It is a heavy cross to bear, but I do my part for the greater good. Need proof of this title? This article is due at midnight, and it is currently 11:47 p.m. Not good enough? I have a 10-page research paper due at 5 p.m. tomorrow, and I couldn't even tell you the topic, and I may or may not at this moment be blanking on what class it is even for. It is a stressful life to lead, but one that I have managed to make work for me all through college.
Though it sounds like this high level of procrastination is manageable in my case, I am here to tell you to not be like me (not advice that I give often, because naturally, I'm the shit). The only thing that procrastination brings with it is regret.
You're in college, so I am assuming that you are at least slightly intelligent. When you procrastinate you are promising yourself that you will not get the full chance to master the material. This is stuff that you can understand, you just don't have the time to make all the puzzle pieces fit into place. Because of this you get a picture looking kind of like it does on the box, but not enough to be perfect. You'll pass, and people will get that you were close to knowing it all, but you'll know that you could've been perfect. You know how to put together a puzzle, you just didn't have the time. Regrets when it comes to academic success are the most annoying thing to live with.
I still believe that the most "I want to flip a table I'm so mad" moments in my life have been when I get an A- in a class, when I clearly could have made the A. It's not worth that one night out when you have to live with that forever. It's annoying, trust me.
So my good, stressed out, sleep deprived, broke, college friends, I beg you. Avoid these things, and start your summer on cloud nine. Enjoy the success of knowing you stayed ahead of the inevitable shit hitting the fan. Bask in the glory of knowing while everyone else loses their mind this week, you look and feel like a million bucks. Good luck, and try not to fall asleep during any finals. It's happened to me, and I promise there will never be a more embarrassing moment.
