It’s that time of year again. Time for my 8th round of final exams and the senioritis couldn’t be more real. I’ve been doing everything I can to motivate myself to get some studying done but all I can focus on is May 4 graduation. Fortunately, I have found a few ways to make sure I study enough to pass my finals so that I can walk across that stage.
1. Scheduling is everything. Set a specific time to study and stick to it like it’s your job. If you set aside the time and make yourself get started you’re bound to know more than you started out with. Senior year is crazy, so if you don’t make the time you just might not have it.
2. Have a study space. It can be Starbucks, the library, your desk, anywhere. Just make it your space to get stuff done. Don’t let yourself get distracted in this area, however. It can become a space of focus and effective studying if you try hard enough.
3. Give yourself rewards. This can be a skittle every time you finish a line of reading, your favorite pizza when you finish a study guide, a nap after 2 hours of work, or anything else that will motivate you to get the work done. The most important part of a reward is that you only get it when you accomplish your goal (no cheating!).
4. When studying is over, relax. Don’t lose sleep over exam stress. Being tired or worn down is just as harmful to your grades as failing to study. So get your work done and then take a break to do something that will lower your stress levels.
5. Aim for an A+. This being the last round of exams makes it extra easy to aim for a passing grade of any kind. But at the end of the day, your GPA still matters and you owe it to yourself to do the best job you can. So instead of aiming for anything that will result in a final grade of a C, aim to bring your grade up.
Exams are definitely the worst. But make the most of your last ones with these little tips for effective studying, even with a terrible case of senioritis. Good luck, Spartans!