Sleepless nights, tons of sugar, mountains of papers and copious amount of Red Bull. Finals season is quickly approaching most colleges, which is beyond scary. For me, I am shocked that my freshman year is quickly coming to a close. I cannot believe that it is time to take finals and then go home and begin my summer. Here are some tips for being prepared for finals:
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One of the most important things is to stay organized. I cannot stress this enough. I personally cannot work when things are strewn across my desk. First, I recommend writing the date and times of each final and rank them in their importance to you. This will then tell you how much time you should spend studying for each final.
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Another good tip is to clean the space that you’re working in. I find that I get overwhelmed with stress if the space isn’t clean. When the room is clean, I feel so much more organized and focused. I’m able to actually see my floor and focus on studying.
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Always have snacks on hand. When I study I love to snack on something, whether it’s carrots or chips, I just feel like I can focus when I’m snacking on a little something.
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Take some time out of your day to just relax. If relaxing for you is reading a book, do that. If relaxing is watching tv, then do that. In order to keep a clear head and manage the stress of finals, you need to take some time for yourself to just breathe and relax and allow your mind to be cleared of all thoughts of the daunting days ahead.
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The final tip is to just try and do your best. If you know you studied your absolute hardest and did all the work you could, but the grade isn’t exactly what you want, at least you know that you put all of your effort into it. I know no one wants to study for finals, it’s so normal, but it’s just what you have to do. And think about it, once you’re done with finals you have the whole summer to forget about the experience.
While finals season may seem unbelievably daunting, it can be done. Before my first finals in December, I had no idea what to expect and was so confused with stress I could barely think. After talking to people and realizing that I just had to relax, I was able to finally focus and do what I needed to do. For this finals season my goal is to try my hardest, but also take my mental health into account and remember that I’m doing my best.