The time is coming where we pour ourselves over textbooks and flashcards, coffee cups and junk food, or quite the opposite: skipping whole meals all together to attempt to gather as much knowledge as we can. We put all of our effort into passing a test that we lose sight of what really matters: our health. Nothing in this world is so important that you start to mistreat your body, including your mind. Take a deep breath and try to avoid these unhealthy finals habits. William and Mary students will give you first-hand accounts on why you should avoid them.
All-nighters
I’m sure everyone remembers the time they pulled their first college all-nighter. And it’s kind of like a rite of passage here at William and Mary. But what most people don’t realize is that the sleep lost in pulling all-nighters is very essential to our brains and the rest of our body for the following day. Instead of staying up all night, put your stuff away, go to sleep, and then wake up early to start studying again.
“I had two essays due the next day. And a final. And I procrastinated them like any other college student. In the end, I got everything completed, but the next day was not good. I could not function well. I had a headache all day. Had to wear my glasses instead of contacts because my head hurt so badly. It felt like I was walking through sludge. My reaction times were down; people would talk to me and I could just not compute. 0/10 would not recommend.” – Mackenzie Wagner, Class of 2017
Cramming
Along with all-nighters comes its cousin cramming. Usually done the night before a test, cramming is our way of trying to take in too much knowledge at once. Don’t psych yourself out about these exams. If you don’t know exactly what will be on your exam, break the information up into different days. If you don’t have that much time, try to pick out the most important information and study that.
“I had a Geology final my first semester of college and never really had to study before. So, I didn’t really start freaking out until the day before this exam. That’s when I realized I didn’t really know what I was going to walk into the next day. I sat down and just began studying everything I could. I poured over class notes and the textbook, made all kinds of flashcards and even tried drawing pictures. In the end, I felt really exhausted and as if nothing was sinking in. I walked into the test and blanked on everything. I couldn’t remember a lot of what I crammed for the day before and didn’t do as well on the test as I could have if I started studying sooner.” – Anonymous, Class of 2016
Ignoring Mental Health
There comes a time when we study that mental breakdowns occur. And a lot of the time, we don’t allow ourselves the proper time to get through these breakdowns before we jump right back into the thick of studying. It might seem a bit obvious that this isn’t healthy to do, but sometimes we don’t realize that we’re ignoring the signs. If something becomes overwhelming, makes you cry, or breaks you down, then you should talk to someone and take a break. The stress is there and completely understandable. Try to get your mind off of it before heading back into the stress. Go watch a silly movie with your best friend. Take a well needed nap. Go have a snack or even a whole meal.
Drinking too much coffee
Coffee is its own food group for most college students. We live and breathe off the stuff. But having too much at one time can be dangerous for our test-taking abilities, our focus, and even our ability to sleep. Downing too much coffee right before an exam or drinking cup after cup while staying up studying just is not good for you. Coffee in moderation is okay, but try not to drink too much at once or back to back.
“I remember last year, I drank a lot of coffee for my Bio exam; it lasted from 7pm to 10pm. In order to stay awake, I had a triple venti white mocha from the bookstore café, and I was awake during the exam, but couldn’t fall asleep for the rest of the night. (I finally fell asleep at 5:30AM!) I had post-exam jitters and also had lots of caffeine in my system. I felt like I got hit by a truck the next day, I was so sleepy.” – Kaitlyn Dorst, Class of 2017
Skipping meals
Eating meals every day is an important part of being healthy. Skipping meals is detrimental to your overall health, even if it’s only for a couple of days. It is vital for you to get the nutrition your body needs. Instead of skipping meals, try packing snacks with you before heading off to the library or another classroom to study. Another thing you can do is use eating as a study break. Gather a group of your friends, and go eat and refuel before jumping back into the chaos that is called Finals.
Eating too much Junk Food
On the other hand, it is also bad for you to binge eat on junk food during finals. Having some in moderation or as a snack here and there is okay, but continuously eating junk food over and over again doesn’t give your body the correct nutrients it needs. It’s imperative that you continue eating healthy throughout finals.
“One time during finals, I was studying all night, so I went to Wawa and got a bag a chips and soda for breakfast before my final. And then I felt like I did so horribly on my final that I went and bought more junk food so I could just eat the pain a way and watch Netflix all day. Later on I didn’t want to leave my room, so I ordered dominos and ate a whole pepperoni pizza. The next day my stomach was hurting and felt sick as a result of eating a whole pizza by myself after having other junk food.” – Dominique Langhorne, Class of 2016
Not taking study breaks
This last one may seem less important than the others, but it’s still as detrimental as the others. Leaving study breaks out of your to do list when it comes to finals can really overwhelm your mind. Trying to take in too much information into your brain without giving it time to breathe may not allow you to soak up as much information as you can. Take a five to ten minute break every hour to give yourself a chance to breathe. It may end up helping rather than hurting you.