Next week is the week where we’ll all be spending long hours in the library, and cramming to understand things in order to ace our finals. But instead of pulling your hair out or panicking too hard, take a moment to read through these tips in order to keep your last couple weeks as stress-free as possible.
1. First, you need to find a good place to study; probably somewhere where you’ll stay focused. This can be different for everyone, but it’s just important to find somewhere where you’re comfortable sitting and studying for a few hours.
2. Turn off your phone. Actually, just put away anything that can distract you. It’s easy to procrastinate on studying with things like Instagram and Twitter, so it’s better to keep them far away during your study time.
3. Separate your study days. Designate a day to each class, so that way you can really focus on that one topic and you won’t get confused with other subjects.
4. Sleep is your best friend. Staying out late probably isn’t the best idea for these last couple weeks. We’ve had four months of goofing off; we just need our rest so we can goof off for four more!
5. Coffee, coffee, coffee! Even if you get a full eight hours of sleep, it’s hard to keep your eyes open when reading about people and stuff you couldn’t care less about. This is why we should all be thankful for coffee! Not only will the caffeine wake you up, just the act of drinking keeps you awake. Plus, Starbucks has their winter flavors out, so bonus fun!
6. If music helps you study, create a playlist. Maybe Taylor Swift makes you work hard or maybe you need some Eminem to stay on top of things. Whatever keeps you at work, that’s your mix!
7. Bring some candy along with you! Not only is it like the act of drinking in which it keeps you up and focused, but it has also been proven that the association between a taste and what you’re studying can actually help you remember it. So if you ate butterscotch to study chemistry, do the same during the test—it can actually help jog your memory!
8. Create a study group. Sometimes your classmates can explain things to you better than your professor, or at least in a way you can understand. Also, they could have some stuff that you might have missed, or vice versa. It’s like a potluck, but with knowledge!
9. TAKE A BREAK. While it might seem like a super great plan to study for three hours on end, it’s probably not. Eventually you’ll get lazier as you go on, and that can lead to some bad studying. Take a break every hour to take a walk or grab dinner with some friends. That way you’ll be able to give your all to each thing you study.
10. Make sure you do activities to keep your stress level down. Too much stress can lead to psyching yourself during a test you’re totally prepared for. Maybe take a run or watch your favorite series on Netflix.
And then the awful week is over! You can rest easy and eat lots of holiday treats now. Or you can party it up because you totally aced those exams! Good luck, HCXO!