13 days
The Tuesday before Thanksgiving is when the hell begins. This is an important first step. Ideally, you have been prepping for this moment all semester, but let’s say you were less productive than you hoped you’d be, hypothetically, maybe, I wouldn’t know. I, for one, definitely managed my time effectively…but anyway, you’re a little stressed. Take a deep breath, and let the cramming and grinding begin. Grab a piece of paper and write down all your classes. Think about any homework assignments you have besides just studying. This is what you need to get out of the way first, and this is what the day before Thanksgiving break is for. The festivities are yet to begin, so take this time to get caught up and finish the lasts of your assignments before you give yourself a break to spend time with family. If you have a lot to do, allow your work to leak into Wednesday. It’s always important to be realistic about what you can accomplish in a day. Cross tasks off as you go. The dopamine rush you get from drawing a line through “finish research papaer” is unreal. Never underestimate it.
8 days
Now that the holiday is over, the grind must continue. This day gives you the opportunity to get all your study planning done so you can focus on actually studying when you get back to school. Take a new piece of paper and write down all your classes again, except this time, add the grade you have in the class. It only takes a second to calculate. Then write down a realistic goal for a grade to finish on. You can figure one out using your syllabus to see how much your final is worth and plug the values in on https://rogerhub.com/final-grade-calculator/ to see what’s actually possible. Now, start planning based on this. Which class is your hardest? Which one has the lowest grade? These are the classes (or class, if it’s the same one) you should prioritize. As for the rest of your classes, organize accordingly. Another thing that factors into prioritizing is when the actual test date is. For example, if it’s your first one, you might want to allocate some extra time to it in the days leading up. Once the planning is out of the way, you are good to go. Let the studying begin!
7 days
This week is all about studying. You have your game plan, now follow it. You should be focusing on nothing else now that all your other assignments are done. Use this time to your advantage. Here are some grinding tips for reading week to help you out:
1). Drink water so you’re forced to get up and move around a little (water makes you pee, guys).
2). Use an app like “forest” or do your own kind of focus timer (see https://lifehacker.com/productivity-101-a-primer-to-the-pomodoro-technique-1598992730)
3). Limit sugar. If you must drink some caffeine (which, let’s face it, you probably do) try to opt for caffeinated drinks with less sugar. Sugar will make you more jittery and less focused. While it may keep you awake, it’s not doing your attention span any favors.
4). If you MUST pull an all-nighter (this applies to Hell Week™ aswell) because hey, shit happens, do it effectively. If you’re staying up to work, then actually WORK. Don’t do anything else. If you aren’t being productive, then get rest. Keep yourself awake not just with caffeine but food too. Eating something like fruit will help, but like anything else, don’t overdo it with the snacks. You’ll just feel bad after.
5). Pick a spot and buddy up. This might have to be different than your normal study spot because there’s this odd phenomenon around finals week where suddenly everyone discovers the gems that are libraries. And pick your group wisely, because you want to actually work, not just talk to your friends. If you study better alone, that’s fine. It’s important to know yourself and what works for you. But if you need someone to cry to when you’re having a 3 am finals-induced identity crisis because oh my god why am I majoring in English when I can’t even read, it’s nice to have a friend.
3 days
Take Friday and Saturday to study for priority tests only, that way you’re not overwhelming yourself with information.
1 day
Okay, it’s happening, this isn’t a drill. If it hasn’t already, the panic is officially setting in. Tomorrow begins finals week. If you need to cry, do it now and not in the lecture hall while you’re taking your exam. This might sound crazy, but don’t study tonight. Just sleep. Go to bed as early as you possibly can, as this is the last sleep you’re going to get before the fuckery begins. Take melatonin, shower, drink some tea, do what you gotta do, but give yourself some time to just prepare yourself emotionally. This is the home stretch. You’ve worked too hard to mess up now. Try not to have a nightmare.
Finals Week
1). Eat breakfast! Even if you’re not usually a breakfast person, this rule applies. Bippity boppity boo, you’re now a breakfast person too. Wake up in time to eat breakfast. Getting up in time to eat will ensure that you won’t be late, and it will fuel you through any exams you have during the day.
2). Tell your roommate and your friends the times of your exams and get them to do the same. Holding each other accountable will save your ass if you accidentally fall asleep fully clothed on your dorm floor right before your calc final due to sheer exhaustion.
3). With every final you finish, remember you are one step closer to being done. Remind yourself of this as much as you can. Give yourself an incentive to finish, too. After every final you survive, give yourself some sort of reward. This way you have something to look forward to. Even if you blanked, you got through it. Once it’s over, it’s over, and it’s out of your hands, so go take a nap or eat some oreos, you’re done with that class.