Finals week is the most physically, mentally, and emotionally trying time of the semester. Here are a couple of tips on things NOT to do during finals week to make your time a little less difficult.
1. Binge watch Netflix.
We all know how hard it is to fight the urge to click into Netflix on your computer when you open it to begin typing that final paper due next week. For the sake of your sanity and your grade, you must fight it. Find that willpower deep inside of you to prevent you from re-watching all 8 seasons of your favorite show that you have definitely already seen at least two times.
2. Stay up late scrolling through Instagram.
After hours of studying for an exam, you decide it’s finally time you head to bed, even if it’s just for a couple of hours. As you’re lying in your bed in the dark, you grab your phone for one last quick check of how everyone else is holding up during finals week… and an hour later, you find yourself in the deepest corners of Instagram. Save yourself the exhaustion the next day and shut your phone off before you get into your bed. Instagram will still be there after you ace your exam.
3. Eat all that leftover Ramen you have in your dorm.
As much as you are looking to get rid of all your dorm snacks before you leave for break, it is important to take care of yourself and your body during finals week. Switching your regular meals over to microwave-cooked Ramen and instant mac and cheese isn’t going to be the best idea. Make sure you continue to fuel your body with foods that will keep you feeling energized and keep your brain sharp while you study.
4. Start celebrating a little too early.
! After hours of working on your final papers, you’re officially done with them! Now you only have two exams to study for and take, and then you’re free to go home and do nothing for a month. But don’t get too excited too soon, especially with the weekend coming up. Stay focused and power through, and it will all be over before you know it. But maybe you can indulge in one glass of wine…
5. Get carried away holiday shopping.
Gift shopping season and finals week always always align, and most of the time, I find myself going for the online shopping over studying for exams. Your family will understand if you have to give them an “I owe you” coupon and shop for them when you get home after you tell them about how well you did on your finals.
6. Pull an all-nighter.
With your exam tomorrow, you might be thinking the best idea is to stay up all night studying. “I’ll do so much better if I keep studying,” you insist. “I’ll just sleep when I get home,” you tell yourself. No, bad idea! Being exhausted while studying isn’t going to get you very far, and being exhausted while taking your exam definitely won’t help your grade any more than you thought – it may even hurt it. Give yourself a little more credit and squeeze in a couple hours of sleep before your exam. You’re better off going into your exam feeling rested than sleep deprived and stressed.
7. Complain to all your friends about how much work you have to do.
Without a doubt, finals week is hard. With all the work you have on your plate and the very scarce amount of time you have to complete it all, it’s understandable that you want to complain to your roommates and friends. But it’s important to remember that everyone is in the same boat; we all have a ton of work, a bunch of exams, and so little time. We’re all running on very few hours of sleep and our bodies are completely drained. As much as you might need it, you’re not going to find sympathy from your friends. At most, you’ll just frustrate them in their own times of stress.
8. Refuse yourself a couple indulgences.
You have been working hard all semester, and particularly hard these final few weeks. College is hard! It’s physically, emotionally, and mentally draining, so give yourself a pat on the back for enduring it! Allow yourself that nap you so desperately need, or maybe that one episode of your favorite show during a study break. You deserve a little reward for all the work you have been doing, so go ahead and indulge!