By Ruby Sahota
It’s already November, and the end of the semester is fast approaching. The end of the semester means final exams and essays! The stress is real! But stay calm. There are ways to feel prepared and calm in order to not let finals get the best of you. Here are a few helpful tips:
Get Organized
To start preparing, you need to get organized. Organization is key when it comes to studying and reducing stress. Bring out your calendar and write down all your due dates for your essays and all your exam days. Next, divide up the days to come evenly with all your classes that require an essay or an exam. Make sure you also have all your notes organized. May it be according to dates or topics, being organized will help make it easier to get started and bring your stress down.
Manage Your Time Wisely
After you’ve organised everything, make sure you actually do your work on the day of! Start as early as possible in the day. Don’t procrastinate in starting because you never will! Once you’ve begun, you’ll get going and you’ll have everything done for the time being, so you can spend the rest of the day relaxing or hanging out with your friends, because having a social life is still very important.
Pace Yourself
This goes hand in hand with managing your time. Don’t burn yourself out! If you start as early as possible and do your work throughout the day, you won’t need to pull an all-nighter. Pulling an all-nighter isn’t very helpful, you’re tired and you can’t focus. When you pace yourself and start as early as possible, you can go to bed on time and ensure you get enough rest to retain the information from the day and to begin working again the next morning.
Prioritize Your Exams And Essays
From all the exams and classes you have, some will be harder than others, and some will be weighed heavier than others. Study accordingly. Begin with what you think is the most important and get it out of the way, so you can start studying for your other finals.
Take Breaks!
Although during finals season, you feel as though you don’t have time for anything else, you need to take breaks! Taking breaks and forgetting about everything that needs to be done for awhile will help in bringing your stress levels down. While you’re taking breaks, you can reward yourself for all the work you’ve already done by getting some food or hanging out with your family and friends. Remember the work will still be there when you’re back, but the moments you miss with your loved ones will be gone.