While young children are saying that it’s the most wonderful time of the year, all college students know that it’s actually the worst time of the year—at least for the next week or two. Finals week is coming, and there is no escaping it. Instead of drowning yourself in your sorrow and stress, use some of these tips to help you feel more prepared and mentally stable for finals week.
1. Book a study room from the library
Ever see those small rooms along the walls of your university or college’s library that students are constantly in? We love those! Most libraries allow you to book them out ahead of time for a certain amount of hours. We highly suggest getting one of these rooms for a few hours at a time. This allows you a space free of distractions that makes you focus on your work. Plus, if you dedicate four hours to working on assignments, writing papers, or studying in one of these rooms, you’ll be more productive than you think. Then you can treat yourself to some Netflix and relaxation afterwards.
2. Set a full day aside to go to a coffee shop
Local coffee shops are the best places to get work done. There is food and caffeine to keep you going, a generally relaxing mood, and other people around you to keep from feeling isolated and lonely. Sometimes you’ll even find other people doing work that help keep you encouraged to do your best job on assignments. Some people swing by one after work or classes at night for a few hours before dinner, but we like to dedicate an entire day. The perfect coffee shop study day? Sleep in on a Saturday or Sunday and head over around 12:30. Eat a lunch before you leave so you’re feeling ready to go. Get a coffee when you first arrive and pick the spot that looks best to you. Set up camp and get a snack and coffee a little later as a pick me up when you start to feel like you’re drowning. If you head to one near a campus, the employees will be so used to college students coming to study that they’ll usually feel your pain.
3. Print a to-do list template
Even if you already have a planner, having a different to-do list for finals week or the stressful and hectic week before can really make a difference. We live by our planners and definitely don’t toss them to the side the week of finals, but we’ve found having a fresh start basis to really sit down and decide what needs done each day and what we can realistically handle is extremely helpful. There are so many different templates online, ranging from one day a week, hourly, a full week, or just a simple to-do list. Find what you like best and make it fun with colored pens, encouraging quotes, and fun doodles.
4. Keep your snack cupboard full
People will constantly tell you that college students snack too much during finals week. We beg to differ. When you are so focused on school, we understand that you need those little treats to keep you going and to keep the hunger away. Go to the grocery store before the week begins, and while you’re buying your regular groceries for meals, get some snacks to keep you going. Popcorn is the perfect snack for late night studying, granola bars are helpful to get through the late morning, and some people simply prefer potato chips. Decide what you like best. We suggest having some veggies or fruit to snack on along with the junk food you’ll inevitably eat, just to keep your health from going downhill too quickly in one week.
5. Keep your room somewhat clean
This is not a necessity, but it is something we’ve found to be super helpful in the past. Have you ever sat down at your desk to do homework and realized there isn’t enough room for your laptop? Then you move everything onto the floor to make room, but the pile of junk is simply sitting there mocking you, daring you not to clean it. So then you end up spending a half hour putting clothes away, making your bed, and making your room look beautiful. Suddenly, you’re late for class and still haven’t finished that homework.
This finals week, prevent that from happening. The week before finals, ideally Monday or Tuesday to leave time later in the week for assignments, clean and organize your room. Schedule that time into your day and plan to make it work best for you. Once you’ve done this, you won’t have the distraction of a messy room to keep you from studying. Plus, a clean room tends to bring with it a clear mind to start the week off fresh.
6. Find your study person
Sure, all of your other friends have homework to do too, so you can try to all do it together. Realistically, you’ll only get about half the work done in a group setting as you would on your own or with one other person. Having one person to keep you motivated and on task can be surprisingly helpful. Make sure when you’re choosing your person, however, you keep their study habits in mind also. We all have that friend that says she really needs to get work done, but spends the entire time talking about her boyfriend or food. Studying with that person? Not the best idea. Find someone that you can stop and chat with on occasion to keep your sanity in check but that won’t distract you the entire time you’re working. If they’re willing to stay for a few hours to do work, that’s even better.
7. Flashcards are your best friend
Remember those flashcards you used to study biology terms in ninth grade? Don’t forget about them! These cards are so versatile for college students. We like to use them to write down to-do lists, make a list of everywhere we need to be and when in one day, and encouragement. Take twenty minutes the week before finals to decorate a few of these. Draw pictures that make you happy, write encouraging quotes on them, or simply leave yourself reminders. Then, slip these little guys in your study materials or space. Leave one under your laptop on your desk, one in your textbook, one in your planner, one by your keyboard, etc. Seeing these little reminders will be helpful to get your through the week. Or you can always use them to study too!
8. Get good highlighters
This may seem silly, but having a good set of highlighters or colored pens can make or break a finals week study session. If you’re writing a paper, print out your sources and highlight the quotes you absolutely want to use. If you’re studying for an exam, highlight important sections and use coordinating colored pens to leave coinciding notes in the margins. Getting some new school supplies, as simple as highlighters and pens may be, can also make studying more exciting.
9. Get enough sleep
We know what you’re thinking. Yes, college kids don’t get enough sleep and that’s normal, but actually, it’s not normal. Getting enough sleep to function at your best level is super important everyday, especially leading up to finals week. Getting yourself on a set sleep schedule the week before finals will help you fall asleep at a reasonable time and wake up feeling energized during finals week. You cannot function as your best self without rest!
10. Get a sticky note app for your computer
This may seem like a silly idea, especially if you already have real sticky notes, to-do lists or planners; however, this can save your life. You can download the sticky notes from the app store on any computer, MAC or otherwise. We’ve found these to be helpful for so many different areas. Have something you don’t want to forget to do, like call Grandma, but you’ll probably forget? Having it show up when you turn on your computer will help. You can have to-do lists, self-motivating reminders to keep you feeling great during the stress, or even as a template to outline your thoughts for a paper. They’ve proven to be life-savers, so take our advice on this one.
From everyone at Her Campus Akron, good luck on your finals and remember, you are the only best version of yourself!