It’s the most wonderful time of the year, finals time! Just kidding.
No one likes to hear the dreaded word that is finals, but the fact of the matter is you aren’t going to get through college without it. Finals can be a tough time, but only if you make it tough on yourself.
As I near the end of the fall semester of my junior year here at Cabrini, I feel like I have mastered finals time pretty well by now.
At first, finals may seem quite daunting, but once again, they are only going to be daunting if you make them.
Therefore, I want to share my best tips and tricks on how to survive finals week!
Tip #1: Never pull an all-nighter
Oh yes, the infamous college all-nighter. Don’t do it. It will really only hurt you in the end. Late nights in the library eating junk food will do nothing but hurt your chances of doing well on a final exam or project. If you have an exam the next day and you stay up all night, you are just going to become more tired and delirious. If you are working on a final project, it’s just going to become extremely sloppy once 4 a.m. hits. Make sure you get a good night of sleep (hopefully a full 8-hours) and you should be ready to go for that final exam!
Tip #2: Don’t over-study
I think we have all done this at some point in our lives. You just study, study, study all day and all night to make sure you are 100% familiar with the content on the test, just to flunk it. Over-studying is real and honestly will kill you in the end if you don’t take it seriously. Studying is a good thing, but make sure you know your limits when it comes to preparing for that big exam.
Tip #3: Eat right
Try to stay away from constantly eating bags of Doritos and ordering pizza from Campus Corner. I’m not saying don’t eat them at all, but don’t make that a strict diet for finals week. Try to eat healthy, like stopping at The Bean for a salad or checking out what the Mindful section of Cavs Corner has to offer. If you eat right, your body will feel right and help you to excel when you need it most.
Tip #4: Take breaks
I know the constant stress of something just sitting there waiting to be done is imminent, but it is important to give yourself some breathers. Do whatever makes you feel at ease. Whether that is watching a few episodes of your favorite show on Netflix, taking a walk around campus, playing a video game, or simply just sitting around doing nothing, make sure you implement that into your week.
Tip #5: Take a power nap
You are probably thinking to yourself, what person has any time to take a nap during final week? But that shouldn’t be the case. I’m not saying to take a 2-hour nap, that would just kill way too much time during finals week. Try taking a 20-30 minute power nap. This can help you immensely in just recharging yourself to take on the rest of the day. When your day gets to a point where you are going to crash, try your absolute best to take a power nap.
Everyone is different and my tips may not work for you, but try your best to find what works for you. As I said, finals week really doesn’t have to tough unless you make it tough on yourself!
Good luck!