For many students, finals week is either here or rapidly approaching. It’s easy to get stressed and overwhelmed with finals. You have an entire semester’s worth of work coming together into one exam or project. No pressure, right? But don’t worry. You can handle it! Here are a few tips for surviving finals week.
Study Groups
It might sound obvious, but utilizing study groups can really benefit you! It gives you the opportunity to go over concepts you may not understand. It’s always helpful to have a few other people around so you don’t feel isolated. But make sure you’re contributing to the group as well. You don’t want to show up without knowing anything and just use your fellow classmates for their knowledge. That just makes them resent you. A great way to participate in a study group is by pretending to teach concepts from the class. It helps everyone remember ideas better!
Set Boundaries
Make sure you set up boundaries for finals week. Set your phone on “do not disturb” mode during study times. If you have an internship, let your boss know when your finals are taking place, and see if they’re willing to adjust your schedule to accommodate exams. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed during finals, so take steps to reduce your stress. Don’t study for long amounts of time without a break. Change up your environment, and make sure you get some natural light in. It’s not healthy to lock yourself up in your dorm room for hours at a time!
Stay on Top of Scheduling
Use scheduling to help manage your productivity. Dedicate specific hours in your day for studying. Break down the sections of the course into specific chunks of time, like assigning 15 minutes for a short section and 30 minutes for a long section. Schedule your study breaks too! That way you don’t get burnt out.
Practice Self-Care
Perhaps most importantly, don’t forget to take care of yourself during finals week. Wear your most comfortable clothes, eat your favorite food, and don’t be too hard on yourself. There’s only so much we’re capable of doing, and we often put unrealistic expectations on ourselves.
Finals week is scary and stressful. But that doesn’t mean you have to make it worse for yourself. Just stay calm, do your best, and you’ll be fine.
