As we begin to wrap up the Spring 2023 semester, anxieties and worries over exams start to build up and often spill into early summer. To help avoid these fears, I am here to share some of my tips and tricks to help optimize your study/social balance during finals week(s).
Tips
Take 15:
- While studying and cramming for an exam seems crucial to “ace” your final, I can confidently say this is the best way to tire your brain and create lapses in your retention.
- Although you may be in a time-crunch, and have no choice but to shove your nose into a book, remember to take 15.
- Whether you have the time or no time at all, TAKE 15! If you do not know how to take 15, here’s how:
- For every hour of study, take a 15-minute break away from your study materials and away from your study space. Get a breath of fresh air or engross yourself into a different activity. Use this break to take a quick walk, watch 15 minutes of a show, or even make yourself a snack — but remember, breaks are necessary to both YOUR health and YOUR studying!
- For the last-minute studying or for a quick review, make sure for every minute you actively engage with a text or materials, you take 15 seconds to relax your eyes and settle for inactive attention.
- For every hour of study, take a 15-minute break away from your study materials and away from your study space. Get a breath of fresh air or engross yourself into a different activity. Use this break to take a quick walk, watch 15 minutes of a show, or even make yourself a snack — but remember, breaks are necessary to both YOUR health and YOUR studying!
Write It Out:
While I am notorious for relying on online materials or an unmalleable text, here are some ways in which you can connect with your studying and change up your learning for better comprehension.
- Make a study guide: Use a pencil/pen and paper and write down your questions or concerns with a topic. Keeping a tangible record on paper, you can make note of what you know and what needs to be addressed, self-made acronyms or memorable attributions, and/or have a spreadsheet of relevant information to narrow the information down.
- By writing down relevant information, you actively invite your brain to memorize the materials in your own words and advance your comprehension before the test!
*Optional tip*: If you have access to a laminator (Thomas Cooper Library), laminating your copy of a study guide waterproofs your paper (just in case), but also allows for a quick dry-erase medium. Create a study guide or review that you can now actively engage with!
Fuel Your Mind & Body:
*Disclaimer: Mentions food, food consumption, and food as fuel; notes recommended food items, and generalizes food comfort*
- Finals get hectic, and time moves quick. However, the prioritization of health and well-being must be pressured. Making sure to fuel your body with good, comforting, and energizing foods becomes relevant to your mood and productivity!
- While coffee, energy drinks, and any type of caffeinated drink can be helpful with maintaining energy, to better help yourself through exam week, make sure you are eating/drinking mindfully and providing yourself with balanced energy, vitamins, minerals, and hydration through such a difficult time.
Tricks
Create a study playlist:
- Contrary to whoever told you music muffles the learning process and cancels out memorization, I am here to tell you that creating a playlist surrounding your studies WORKS! Whether or not its Beethoven, find something that keeps you calm under the stress of finals!
Plan out your sleep schedule:
- 6-8 hours of sleep will help you stay energized while studying for finals — but also come finals time, you will be well-rested and ready to be tested on all that you’ve studied!
Study in a new setting:
- Find a new coffee shop, a public library, or even a park to find some peace and quiet outside of the norm to solidify your knowledge! While this helps you find a change of scenery and pace to your studying, it also gives your brain a break from the same old space.
Do not feel pressured to put your phone on DND — maintain your social life:
- While finals week can be horribly busy and feel like there is absolutely no time to see or text anyone you know, keeping your phone on as a tool, a social connector, and a study break guider can help you — and does not necessarily hurt your learning.
- Try downloading Quizlet on a mobile device and create a study stack to keep you on track on-the-go. Also, reaching out to a parent, peer, or close friend for reassurance can always be a plus! You deserve self-motivation, but also some social reassurance!
“final”ly
Do not be embarrassed to ask for help:
- College finals often feel extremely overwhelming, or often “life or death” when it comes to a grade. Therefore, do not feel as if you cannot reach out for help.
- Reaching out to a peer, counselor, or a licensed professional is not weakness! Please take care of yourself and prioritize your health over a grade!
That said: Good Luck!
You’re amazing and so talented! It is just a difficult week, but you’re capable of so much!
