It’s that time of the semester again, where you can taste vacations right around the corner, but your to-do list seems to be infinite. Regardless of your major, Finals Week can be a hard time since there is the stress of completing every assignment and final project, and studying for actual final tests, and on top of that getting ready to go home.
Luckly for you, there are a few things you can do to prepare yourself for this week. The most important thing to remember is to take breaks in between study sessions. A great way to remember to do this is to make a schedule and put alarms to remind yourself of the breaks.
It is important to also start studying early and not leave it to the last minute. But if you do, there is also some motivation and adrenaline that you can get from it. I personally like a 24-hour challenge, where I start my assignment 24 hours before it is due, and I complete it.
NOTE: I am in no way or form encouraging this, especially for long assignments.
Other than taking breaks and starting early, it is crucial that you take care of your mind and body during this time. Remember to stay hydrated and aim to eat three meals a day. Sleeping is also important, one of my favorite things to do before a big test is get a goodnight sleep.
I think that another important tip for finals is to find a study method that works for you. Some people prefer to study alone, others prefer study groups, and some people like to study with a study body double. This last one means that you are both studying in the same environment without interacting much.
There is also one more thing you can do during this stressful time, but this one is something that you’ll do after your final. You must treat yourself, a little reward after all the hard work you have done.
Regardless of how many finals you got going on, I wish you the best of luck. Take good care of yourself, we’ll read each other next year… or not, tehe.