It’s that time of year again! No, not Christmas, Halloween, or your cousin’s birthday that you’re always forgetting, but something else entirely. Spring is in the air, the nights are growing longer, and the temperature is heating up, which can mean only one thing: summer is right around the corner! For college students that means one, last, dreaded hurdle to get over before a three-month break filled with lounging by the pool: finals. I, as a college student myself, know all too well the reduced motivation that even the best of students can suffer from this time of years. The weather is so nice. School is almost out.
Of course, presuming you don’t want to have to sit through additional boring classes, you’ve got to make sure to pass the ones you’re taking now. And that means acing your finals. Here’s some tips, tricks, and all around self-generated advice to power you through finals week.
1. Use Netflix and Hulu as Rewards for Work Well Done
Though the temptation can be strong to just knock-off and watch an episode or ten when you should really be writing that term paper, TV and movies don’t have to be your enemies. Instead, motivate yourself to get your work done by promising that you’ll watch immediately after you’ve finished. For every paragraph you write, a 20 minute of Portlandia is a pretty good reward (I love you Fred Armisen).
2. Spend Some Time Outdoors
Just because you’ve got studying to do, doesn’t mean you can’t do it outside, where you’ll soak up some healthy sun and get a tan all in the same stretch. Take a blanket, go find a patch of grass to sit your books on, and you’re halfway to being a classic “Welcome to _____ University!” brochure.
3. Get Some Exercise
Looking at you Freshmen 15-ers. You might not feel like lifting heavy things or running long distances after you’ve already given your brain a workout, but exercise can be a great stress-reliever, as it releases endorphins that act as natural painkillers and, in turn, improves your body’s ability to sleep. Which brings me to…
4. GET SOME SLEEP
You are absolutely useless to everyone, including yourself if you don’t sleep. Think you need to pull an all-nighter to do some last-minute studying before your final? Forget about it. Catch some z’s and your ability to recall and think clearly will be magically (okay fine, scientifically) improved.
5. Study in Groups
Everything is more fun when you do it with friends. That includes studying. If you’re all in the same class, help quiz one another on what you guys are going to need to know come test day. If you’re not, you can still take turns helping one another. Sticking together will also help everyone in the group stay more motivated.
And lastly...
6. Don’t Forget to Have Fun
If you’ve got some free time yet before finals and you’ve already been studying your butt off, don’t forget to have some fun. Put the book down. Go out with friends one weekend. College is about the academics, obviously, but it’s also about the experience. Don’t lose that in the shuffle.
I’m going to level with you; most of this stuff is pretty common sense stuff. But, considering you’ve read down to this point, consider yourself reminded and better informed than the guy falling asleep in the seat next to you. Sometimes even the best of us need a gentle nudge to keep the wheels turning.