The worst week of the semester is here. It’s about time to seek shelter in your favorite library nook and cherish your sleep when you can. While everyone is so focused on their exams and projects, here are some tips to make the most of your time during finals week in order to work smarter, not harder:
1. Meal prep
We’ve all had weeks where we just don’t have the time to make decent meals. During finals week, there are 382,939 things you need to do but eating has to be one of them. Cook your food all at once to eat throughout the week. This will save you time later and you’ll thank yourself that you’re eating actual food instead of being sustained from Cheetos and granola bars.
2. Make a schedule
There’s always an overwhelming amount of work to do leading up to finals week. I base my life on lists because it’s the best way to stay organized, but it’s also good to make a timeline of assignments that need to be done first in order to prioritize them. It’ll help you feel like you’re on track and getting everything done that needs to be done.
3. Study with other people
Everyone always says the best way to learn material is to teach it to others. Studying with others is a good way to learn material and have it presented in a different way that’s easier to understand. It can also be a good way to hang out with other people while pretending like you’re maybe getting something done.
4. Optimize study spots on campus
Study spots are great little places to get stuff done if you can’t study at home or in your dorm. The library can get packed during finals week, so finding another spot that’s less crowded could help you make the most of your studying time. It’s also been said that when you switch subjects to study, you should switch study spots so you can better retain the information. Lucky for us, there’s no shortage of study spots because this campus has 800 buildings.
5. Make sure you sleep
It’s easy to get carried away with all the work you have to do and stay up late in order to get it all done. However, there’s no way you can function without proper sleep, and all the late night studying you’re doing is going to be forgotten. Since I came to college, I’ve learned that naps can be the best part of your day if you don’t sleep that much at night. Why make finals week worse by being sleep deprived too?
Finals week is a week of universal suffering for everyone, so making the best of it can be hard but you’ll thank yourself later. Good luck, collegiettes!