"Twas the night before finals, when all through the house,

Each person was cramming, quiet as a mouse.

The dark bags were hung under their eyes with care,

In hopes that good grades would soon be there."

Welcome to finals week, a time of stress and life contemplation for all undergrads! “Should I cram?” “Should I drop out?” “Should I just wing it?” These are all questions we ask ourselves before the dreaded week begins. But it does not have to be this hard, you can get through this with a little bit of organization. In order to make your week a little less hectic, here are some handy dandy time management tips.

Keep your priorities in mind.

If you know you are doing much better in one class than another, devote more time to the one you are struggling in. Devoting five straight hours to a class you have a 95% in, does not make much sense when you have a 70% in another class. Knowing what grade you are trying to make and what percentage you need to get on the test to achieve that grade is vital. Set your priorities before you even begin studying.

Make a schedule.

Plan out your whole day. Give yourself time slots of when you’re going to study for which class, when you’re going to work on your group project, and when you’re going to write that final paper. Schedule your breakfast, lunch, and dinner breaks, and schedule frequent ten or fifteen minute breaks. Writing out the schedule will hold you accountable for getting work done.

Take a break if you’re not retaining information.

Cramming is never a good option, but if you have waited until the last minute you don’t really have a choice. If you’ve spent the last two hours with your nose in a book, you probably are not retaining any of information anymore. Take a break, stretch it out, and eat some brain food. Come back to it after fifteen minutes and go over what you studied before moving on.

Good luck!