Finals Week Tips!

Dead week, or the week where we are supposed to have no tests or quizzes in order to prepare for finals week, is, in essence, dead and gone. Which means finals week is here! For many a student, the words "finals week" induces such a strong sense of anxiety that it leaves many on the floor crying. But honestly, when prepared, finals week is nothing to cry about.

Now, many people have probably heard horror stories about finals week, but I promise that they're not as bad as they seem. Here are some tricks and tips to dealing with finals week whether it's your first or last:

1. Prepare all semester. I'm not talking about studying for finals all semester, but try to do well in the class overall. Many times if you're grade is high enough you don't have to worry about achieving a high grade on the final.
2. Coffee is your friend. Not to stay up all night, but to stay focused during the day.
3. Study a few days in advance. Cramming will not do you any good, but studying too far in advance may lead you to not remember as much from those early study days. I recommend three to four days for memorization-based classes and longer for application-based classes, but do what works for you.
4. SLEEP. Not only will sleep help you focus for studying and for finals, but everyone gets sick around finals. The more sleep you get, the better off your immune system will be.
5. Eat good meals, but don't stress when you don't. You should definitely be eating at least three meals to keep up energy, but don't stress if you find yourself eating lots of chocolate. It happens to everyone.
6. Take breaks. After about an hour of studying, your mental capacity to take in more information slowly dwindles down to zero. Even if it's just a 15 minute break, get up, leave your study area, stretch, and walk around. I also recommend continuing to exercise.
7. Take deep breathes. If you studied, you know more than you think you know. Relax, take the final, and be over with it. At that point, you know it or you don't and it's out of your hands.
8. And finally, don't worry about what other people are doing. Everyone studies differently and everyone has different finals. Some people will study much more than you, some much less. But they're not you. Worry about your own week.

Finals week is a different experience for everyone, and you never really know what to expect until you go through it once. But hopefully these may help you in the future and make your finals week a little less stressful!

-Kasha