Finals Week: (n) The only time where it is acceptable to ignore normal hygienic practices, drink unthinkable amounts of caffeine, and force the body to endure days of inadequate sleep, all to catch up on a semester’s worth of procrastination.
Yup. We’ve all been there. The late nights, the never-ending stack of notes to memorize, the ever-deepening bags under your eyes, the “but I’m too behind to shower,” the caffeine…ohh man the caffeine.
But it doesn’t have to be like this! Her Campus UH Manoa has got you covered! Go into the daunting Finals Week prepared with tips and tricks to help you stay healthy and motivated.
1. Plan ahead and know your schedule!
Know how many finals you have, how much time you have left to study, know your work hours, and so on. Don’t forget to factor in sleep time! The more you plan and account for, the more in control you’ll feel, and the less stressed you’ll be.
2. Don’t drown yourself in Caffeine!
I know it might be tempting to perk yourself up with small iced coffee after a long and grueling night of studying. But coupling caffeine with stress actually gives you more anxiety, leaving you feeling more awake, yes, but you’ll have more difficulty concentrating, be more irritable, and feel more tense and on edge. When you’re already stressed with the workload in front of you, the last thing you need is more stress. Instead limit yourself to one or two cups of joe and drink a lot of water.
3. Take breaks!
No one can work for hours and hours at a time; we’re not machines. After you’ve successfully studied for an hour without going on Facebook, Twitter, or any social media or texting, or other distractions, reward yourself with a 10 minute break. Indulging in some ice cream, do some yoga, eat some fruit, hug your dog. Do what works for you, just make sure to take those breaks.
4. ACTUALLY SLEEP
Yeah, yeah sleep is important, we get it. But there just seems to be no time to study and sleep. No! Get yourself out of that mindset. You actually need sleep to transfer what you’ve just studied from short-term memory over to long-term memory. Sleep helps you retain information. Just because you’ve stopped studying, doesn’t mean your brain did, studies have shown that it is possible for your brain to “study” while sleeping. When you sleep and your brain processes material from short-term to long-term memory, some people experience this transfer process in their dreams and think they are actually awake and still studying. While in other studies, people don’t have this inception moment, but they do perform better on memory tests, than the participants who did not sleep before the test. Whichever the case is for you, study hard, but always give yourself time to sleep.
5. Visit Campus Center’s Cram Jam!!
One of the great perks of being a UH Manoa student is the great student services the Campus Center offers. During Final Week, UH Manoa mass-emails all registered students to inform them of Cram Jam. Campus Center opens up the computer labs and study rooms 24 hours, Starbucks is open until midnight, free energy drinks and breakfast (until supplies run out), and sometimes even offer free 10 minute massages! Definitely keep your eyes out for that email!
Finals Week is slowly creeping up on us, and all we can think about is what we’re going to do in the Summer. Here at UH Manoa the struggle is always real, with beautiful beaches and hikes just minutes away from campus, and it is especially real during the last few weeks of the semester! But it doesn’t have to suck! Keep these 5 tips in mind, stay healthy, and study hard! Wish you all the best with finals!