Ahh, finals week. The one week out of the year where all hell breaks loose. A lot of things tend to go wrong when you’re attempting to study for your exams – your hair is a mess, your stomach is making those weird noises because you’re starving, you’re on your fifth Carmel Macchiato, the clock is ticking past 1:00 am and you’re ready to knock out. No matter how much we try, finals always seem to sneak up on us, but not this time. We’ve devised a list of necessities that will help you survive, and even thrive in the battle against finals week.
1. Quizlet
If you’re not feeling like handwriting hudreds of notecards, a simple and easy alternative is Quizlet. This site is an awesome online learning tool that offers flash cards, tests, and games to help you study. Fill in the information you’d like to study and the system arranges engaging activites to help you nail those definitions and formulas.
2. Yoga Pants
Let’s be honest. The whole “dress for success” idea may work out with your Monday afternoon 1:00 pm final, but maybe not your 8:30 am Thursday morning final. Luckily, society has been blessed with the creation of yoga pants – the successful wearing of leggings as pants. Blessed. Throw on your Lulu’s and a tee, get in that classroom, put in work, and call it a day.
3. Pens/Pencils
There is always one person who forgets to bring a pen or pencil to the final. Don’t be that person. No one wants to be asked 2 minutes before the exam if they can rummage through their bag and find you a writing utensil. Pack a couple extra just in case, and don’t forget some extra lead, white out, and erasers.
4. Caffeine
No matter if you’re a coffee or tea person, caffeine is the real MVP when it comes to finals. Whether you’re in the mood for a Vanilla frap, Chai tea, or Blonde roast, that extra boost of energy can keep you reading through that last chapter.
5. Hair Ties
This may seem like a silly thing to remember for finals, but they sure as hell come in handy. No one wants that darn bang to keep falling in their face while they’re trying to speed write 3 short essays in a matter of 2 hours. What if you’re having a bad hair day? What if someone else was in desperate need of one, like the boy with the hair longer than yours? He sure doesn’t keep hair ties around just in case. Keeping extras around your wrist during this chaotic time is a simple way to prevent any hair malfunctions and distractions.
6. Extra Scantrons/Greenbooks
Who hasn’t walked into a test before and realized they forgot to bring a scantron – no one! When you’ve got a million things zooming through your mind, its easy to forget the little things like test taking materials. So prevent the pre-final sprint to the student store. Buy a couple extra the week before finals, so you can beat the line and save the stress.
7. Comfort Food
Sometimes, you just got to go for it. When you’ve been studying for 6 hours straight, you deserve a couple extra calories. The brain actually burns up about 300 calories of your day, and studying excessively can up that by 20 to 50 calories. What are you waiting for? I mean, look at that BURGER.
8. Rest
Guaranteed we all don’t look like this when we wake up, but we sure are smiling to be hitting the hay. Flip that pillow over to the cold side and mummy-tuck yourself into bed; your mind and your body need those z’s girl. Rest is your BFF this finals week!