It’s that long, dreaded time of the semester where finals are upon us. It’s hard to sleep due to stress and the long hours into the night of studying. It’s also hard to keep track of eating right and exercising as you cram every bit of information that you can for every single one of your classes. So as an attempt to make your life easier, I have put together five tips that can be helpful in order to get through finals without exhausting yourself.
1. Get at least six hours of sleep each night the week before finals, and during finals week.
Like many college students, I am also guilty of going to bed at 3:00 a.m. and waking up at 7:00 a.m. as a barely-functioning zombie. However, do not take your sleep for granted. Studies show that you are more likely to retain the knowledge you have when you put the books away and go to bed an hour or two earlier than you normally would during crunch time.
2. Use notecards as a form of studying.
One way that I have found effectively helps me as well as many of my classmates when studying is the use of flashcards. They are great for studying vocabulary terms as well as other information, such as when a certain mathematical equation is applied to a certain type of problem.
3. Create a Spotify playlist.
I know that when people are cramming for finals that music is probably the last thing on their minds. However, creating a relaxing playlist with happy music to listen to during a study break is known to be positively effective for the memory.
4. Eat properly and take study breaks.
I added these two tips together because I know that during studying, I get stressed out about learning the information, and the stress causes me to want to binge eat. So instead of subconsciously working your way through a bag of chips while continuing to study, put the pencil down for 5-10 minutes and pick up a piece of fruit or some almonds with protein that will fill you up. The break will also give your eyes a chance to relax in between study sessions as well.
5. Scout out a consistent study area.
Whether you study best with the sound of students talking around you or in complete silence, pick out an area on campus that you can consistently return to during your study time. For many students at USFSP, that place seems to be outside by the water or in the library. Studying in the same conditions are shown to increase the knowledge retained in that particular environment.
I hope these tips were helpful to use when preparing for finals, and I wish everyone good luck on their upcoming tests!
HC XOXO,
Hayley Garron