With one week of November left, classes are about to end and winter break is just around the corner. But the worst is slowly creeping up on us and that is… finals! Dun dun dun! It’s a week that every student dreads, comprised of exams, ever-mounting stress, sleepless nights, and last-minute cramming. Don’t fret, though! Here is a list of tips to prepare for finals in the least stressful way possible.
1. Create a schedule
Plan out your days so that you have a visual guide to follow, and so that you can plan accordingly for your exams. When everything seems overwhelming, jotting it down on paper and seeing everything written-out can help to make it feel more manageable, instead of this mass of work slowly shambling closer. Moreover, making a schedule can help break up scary assignments into tinier pieces, turning a nasty paper into a mere paragraph a day. Be sure to block out time for studying as well as assignments, so that you’re not just cramming the night before. As an added tip, decorating the schedule and making it aesthetically appealing like the one below can serve as a stress reliever, if you are so inclined.
2. Know your priorities
Look at your list of what you need to accomplish and by when – and actually stick to it! You might want to prioritize papers that you might need to write first, so that once those are done and over with, you can spend the rest of your time on studying for other classes. If you can at all manage it, try to knock out the hardest or largest things first, so that they won’t be hanging over your head for the rest of the semester. Still, if you can’t manage all of it, do a small piece of it first, and then come back to it later while you do something else on the schedule.
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3. Get rid of distractions
That’s right, I am talking about your phone. Put your phone away or put your phone on the DO NOT DISTURB mode so that you can focus on getting whatever it is that needs to be done. Think about it this way: once you finish what you need to finish, you can then do whatever you want afterward, but without the stress of knowing you need to study being pushed to the back of your mind. If you need your phone to be on for some reason, there’s a feature on iOS 12 for iPhones in which you can limit your screen time by going to Settings > Screen Time > App Limits. There, you can add apps and set certain time restrictions for them, minimizing your time on apps that might consume your life and your time to work.
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4. Go to office hours
Your professors are there for you and genuinely want to help you out. If the idea of staring down your professor makes your hands sweat and your heart pound, there are DAs, or departmental assistants, for every discipline offered at Cal Lutheran; they are fellow students also available if you have any questions, usually with desks near the offices for the faculty in a certain field. If you are uneasy on certain topics that were discussed in class, do not hesitate to attend office hours and get your questions answered so that you can answer questions on the exam with confidence!
5. Reach out to classmates
Get the numbers of other students in your class for things that may help you, such as notes that you might have missed. I know that I get pretty timid when asking for help, but there’s a good chance your classmates would love to help you out and give you another perspective on different lesson plans that your professor’s notes and videos online can’t help you with. Form study groups so that you can bounce ideas off of each other and answer each other’s questions; you also have the added bonus of screaming in mental agony in the company of friends as opposed to alone in your dorm. Bolster each other to get that bread!
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6. Take breaks
Studying becomes tiresome after a long period of time, and you don’t want to burn yourself out! Go on a walk to relax and clear your mind, take a quick shower to rejuvenate, or do whatever you desire to recharge. It may be helpful to go outside and get some fresh air if you’ve been in the library doing nothing but cramming for hours on end. Taking a break can also help you remember to do important things for yourself that you might forget to do if you’re too embroiled in studying, such as keeping up basic hygiene, eating enough food, staying hydrated, and seeing daylight. If you don’t do all of these things, the grind of finals week will take that much more of a toll on your body.
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7. Change study locations
It is important to switch the scene up a bit, or else you might just lose motivation to continue studying at all. Maybe try sitting at the park where the air is nice and crisp during the day, and then, as it gets darker out, move to the library where it is tranquil. You can also try going to Starbucks for an hour or two and then make your way to the library to continue studying. Mix and match different options so that you don’t get tired and bored. Just try not to choose a place that will serve as a distraction; a study session with friends in the Student Union can turn into a distracting, unrelated conversation very quickly if you aren’t careful!
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8. Snatch opportunities that your school offers
There are so many resources at your school, so make sure you are kept up to date with the latest scoop and events that your school might offer that can relieve your stress. A lot of events can be found posted on billboards around campus, as well as on the Hub on the MyCLU website. At Cal Lutheran, CAPS, or Counseling and Psychological Services, is available to help if you’re feeling overwhelmed, especially during the “urgent care” hours of 9:00-10:30 and 1-3:30, Monday-Friday, for drastic situations. Usually, around finals week, the school will have events that you can attend where you can get free food and drinks or even pet puppies!
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9. Go to bed early
In order to do well on your finals, you need to be able to think clearly, and in order to do so, you’re going to need to get a full night’s rest. A lack of sleep will torpedo any chance of that, so use your time wisely during the day and finish your obligations early on so that you can rest up and recharge for the next day! It would be a shame to get so far during finals week, only to crash and fall asleep during the actual test!
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10. Keep persevering
You are so incredibly close to the finish line, so don’t stop now! Just think: once you ace those finals, you can sleep for a month if you’d like, and do whatever you want to celebrate the end of the semester. Right now, it may feel like there’s no end in sight, but healing will feel even better knowing all of the hard work that you’ve done over the past 3 months. I believe in you and know that you’ve got this!
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