When you mention the phrase ‘finals week’ to a college student, chances are you won’t get a happy response. Finals can be tough, that home stretch right before a nice break. It’s easy to make a to-do list to prepare, to write down every little thing you have to accomplish by the end of the quarter or semester, plan it all ahead. But, when you go to actually execute that plan, things usually don’t work out as you’d hoped and suddenly, the week before your actual finals is worse than your finals themselves. I like to call this the ‘pre-finals struggle’ and, hopefully, give you a few tips to help you get through these last few weeks.
First piece of advice for the week before finals? Don’t just write everything down. Set alarms or reminders on your phone! It’s simple, it’s quick, and it’s easy. I usually like to set an alarm for about an hour ahead of whatever I’m planning to do, so that I have time to get things together, if I need to! For instance, if I have to go to an extra help session at 4:30? I set an alarm for 3:30 with ‘EXTRA HELP’ written in capital letters. You can’t ignore capital letters. Believe me, I’ve tried.
The second thing you should do to prepare for your finals, and one of the most important, is to sleep. Get as much sleep as you can, whenever you can. Take hour long naps between studying. Don’t stay out as late as you normally would – mention your upcoming finals and your friends will understand. Sleep is important not only for…well, staying awake, but for keeping you healthy as you fight your way to the finish line of the semester. Couple it with water and some actual meals, and you’re good to go, health-wise.
The last thing you can do to ready yourself during this ‘calm before the storm’ is to take a deep breath and relax. With so much on your mind, things can seem more stressful than they actually are. Take the time to focus on one subject, one thing on your to-do list, before you move onto the next. Thinking of everything at once will only make it all seem impossible – and it’s not! By taking things step by step, day by day, you’ll make it a lot easier for yourself and feel even more accomplished when you finish everything on your list.
So, go forth and conquer the pre-finals struggle with your head held high!