There’s less than a week left until May! The year has gone by so fast and we’re finally nearing the end of the year. We get to go home within the next two weeks and enjoy summer. However, before all of that, we unfortunately still have to get through the last week of classes, the week where every single class has an assignment or a midterm due, and most importantly, finals week. At CMU, finals week is not simply just a week where we take our final exams. It’s a week of endless amount of studying, sleepless nights at Hunt, and loads of stressors. We all study knowing whether it’s an econ final or a psych final, every single final exam is going to be impossibly hard, and we end up putting even more stress and pressure on ourselves. Although good grades are important and final exams do matter, it’s not the end of the world if we don’t ace them.
Here’s a list of tips for surviving finals week!
1. Don’t panic.
Before you even start panicking about what and where to start studying, take a deep breath and make sure to check what the final exam is worth in all your courses. Every class weighs the final differently, and it’s crucial that you know how much your exam is worth and calculate how well or badly you have to do to end up with a different grade. Unless you perform extremely better or worse than you have on other exams so far in the class, you probably won’t be able to bring your final grade up or down by more than one grade level.
2. Make time for your other past times and daily activities.
Although you will be studying a lot, don’t stop exercising or doing other things you do daily for fun. It’s more important and efficient to continue your daily routine and pace yourself than cram for an exam in one night. Make a schedule for yourself so you spread your workload throughout the day and take breaks once in awhile. However, beware of doing 15 minutes of studying followed by a two-hour break of Netflix marathon or going on Facebook.
3. Get enough sleep
As hard as it sounds, try not to pull an all-nighter. Your brain and your body will function much better if you are well rested. Sleep is crucial for your brain because your brain retains and goes over all the information you want to memorize during your unconscious, sleeping stage. Cramming will often lead to superficial and confused knowledge of the material you have studied.
4. Find a study buddy or a study group
Study groups can help you be more productive. Sharing notes and going over exams with other people help you gain more knowledge and insights on the material. It’s also much more fun and effective to test each other on the materials.
5. Eat right and stay hydrated
Brain foods such as berries and nuts help you stay concentrated for a long time. Try not to eat too many sweets and carbs because they’ll just end up making you feel sick and lethargic. Lastly, drink lots and lots of water! Even if you have to go to the bathroom multiple times throughout the day, stay hydrated as much as possible.
Good luck on finals everyone!