This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at RIT chapter.
By Ashley Doarn
Fall quarter here at RIT is coming to an end, and we all know what that means..finals week! It is everyone’s favorite time of the year. For those of you who may not enjoy finals week I have a few tips to help you get through this oh so dreadful week. I call them my tips for surviving finals week.
1. Don’t Panic. Make sure you check how much each final is worth in each class. If you are doing fairly well in a class and the final is only worth 20% of your grade then don’t stress yourself out by studying till 3am each day. If you are not doing so well and the final is worth a good amount of your grade then yes-panic mode might help.
2. Don’t be to relaxed. Some students think nothing of their final. They think because they are doing so well in their classes that if they only study for an hour before the exam they still will do good. Now this might help in some situations, but professors will surprise you. So, do not be too relaxed when it comes to studying.
3. Make time for activities. Just because it is finals week doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy yourself. Do not just cut out exercising and other things like reading or going to get food. Give yourself a break form studying or working on projects and catch a movie just so you can relax your brain. You don’t want to put yourself on overload because that definitely won’t help you in the long run. But then again don’t just study for 15minutes then take a 2-hr video game break either!
4. Use an effective study method. For as long as we all have been in school, whether college or high school we all have had to come up with a study
method that has helped us succeed. Some people like to study a little then cram the night before and it helps where others will cram a week before and not look at their notes before the exam itself. Whatever way works do that for your finals. If you do not have a method just yet, I wouldn’t advise trying them out before finals week. Try before a midterm or a small exam next quarter!
5. Get enough sleep. I think this is one of the most important tips I can give you. Sleep is the answer. Studying till 5am and then taking your exam at 8am
is not the answer. Do not “pull an all nighter” no matter what anyone says these do not work. They just make your brain extremely tired and can cause you to do poorly on an exam. This can lead to you writing nonsense on your exam because you are so over tired you just want to sleep and get through the exam as fast as you can.
6. Resist the urge to party on non-final days. Yes, we all know what college students love to do, party! But, resist the urge to party on your off days. No
one said you have to study all day everyday, but use the days to rest. Catch up on sleep, eat or relax by hanging with friends. Use this time to catch up on a little more studying or work on a final project for a class you don’t have an exam for.
7. Arrive on time. Make sure to set your alarm. You don’t want to miss your exam or be late because that could cause you some serious consciences. You may need every minute of that exam to fully complete it.
8. Follow the exam rules. This explains itself, just don’t cheat!
9. Don’t worry about others. Some students will finish way before you and others after you. Don’t concentrate on when others finish because this will just stress you out. Everyone has his or her own pace; just remember to take your time.
10.When the exam is over, let it go!! Once the exam is over don’t run home to see what questions you missed, just let it go. Go do something fun and enjoyable.
Hopefully these tips will help you all through finals week. Just remember as long as you take breaks in between studying and get lots of sleep you will be fine. Don’t freak out, or at least not too much! Good luck from herCampus!