This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Cornell chapter.
I’m not sure why we say it’s a “season” of prelims, prelims season is… basically all semester, with a few free weeks that we aren’t quite sure what we spent doing.
If you’re anything like me, you’re probably feeling something like this right now:
It’s okay. After years of all-nighters, procrastinating, and all-around poor choices, I have some tips to survive these next few weeks.
1) Eat breakfast. As somebody who doesn’t eat breakfast every, or most mornings, I’m not going to lecture you about eating breakfast every morning. But during prelim week, do it. Your body is stressed and needs the extra nourishment. It doesn’t need to be elaborate, a banana or protein bar will do if you don’t have time to go to the dining hall.
2) Get some sleep. Again, I’m not the best at this. But even when I stay up to study for an exam, I always make sure to get at least one or two REM cycles. You may be tempted to pull an all-nighter…don’t. REM cycles (sleep in increments of 1.5 hours) will leave you more energized and alert, and they allow your brain to process and remember all of the things you’ve studied.
3) Reach out to friends and family. It’s okay to tell your parents you’re stressed. It’s okay to tell your friends that you’re stressed. While they may not be able to help you study for your exam, or create a study plan, they are always there to listen to you and give you a few encouraging words.
4) Do something besides studying. I know. You only have 2 days before the prelim, and your lecture attendance was spotty at best. But if you don’t make time in your day for a 30 min to hour long break, you will find yourself surfing the web, on Netflix, playing games on your phone, or watching endless Conan clips. Your brain needs a break and if you plan one you will be able to enjoy it. If your break comes unplanned, like a Netflix binge, you’ll just feel guilty.
5) Talk to your TA/Professor. Your Professor and TA’s are there to help you. Around prelim time, they have more office hours, and are checking their email constantly. They may not respond back to your email sent in panic at 3:23 am, but they will respond as soon as possible. If you don’t understand something, reach out to them. They want to help you.
6) When your exam is over, let it go. It’s over. Don’t spend the next few days looking up every question you think you got wrong. Unless this is your last prelim for the week (and if it is- Congrats!), you probably have some more studying to do. Don’t spend time dwelling on something you can’t change.
7) Try to stay positive. The Cornell weather is quickly changing to cold, gray, and rainy/snowy. You haven’t slept enough, you haven’t eaten enough, you don’t feel prepared. The list goes on. Try keeping a list of all the good things that are happening after prelim. Is there a great party? Are you ready to eat double your body weight during Thanksgiving? Put it on the list. Think of this list as a list of rewards for making it through prelims!
8) Know to get help when you need it. If things get too out of hand, you’re too overwhelmed or too stressed, try talking to a trained individual. Making an appointment with Gannet’s CAPs program is definitely an option- but if you feel like you don’t have time to make an appointment/there’s no appointments open for a while Cornell still has a ton of resources. EARS and Cornell’s Let’s Talk program both offer qualified individuals to talk to you everyday without an appointment. Links to find hours/days/locations are listed below.
Happy Studying!! Xoxo