This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Mass Amherst chapter.
It’s crunch time, collegiettes. You’ve made it past all other obstacles and it’s now time for the most dreaded occasion of the semester: finals week (also referred to as Hell Week). How appropriate. Most of us have already mentally checked out, but there is still work to be done (unfortunately). But fear not girls, here are some tips to help you get through this stressful time:
- Know your finals schedule. This may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised how many people couldn’t tell you when their finals are. Write down when and where your finals are taking place! In addition to your exams, you should also keep in mind that your TAs and professors most likely have different office hours during hell week so keep note of that as well.
- Resist the urge to procrastinate. Some of us (including myself) have a bad habit of putting things off to cope with the stress. Instead of confronting the material that we should be studying, we avoid it and hope for the best. Don’t let yourself go down this path! Take a deep breath and dive right into it. Getting started is honestly the hard part; once you become familiar with the information, it’s not that bad!
- Find your zone. So you’ve taken the big step and decided it’s time to start mastering the material. Now it’s time to find the place where you work best and where there are no distractions. This could be the library (warning: it WILL be packed during hell week), your room, or maybe even a café in town. Bring your notes, laptop, headphones, some snacks, and start studying!
- Don’t sweat the small stuff. This is the week where you should let yourself get away with things you’d normally feel guilty about. Don’t stress out if you don’t have time to hit the gym or keep up with your normal routine. It’s only one week and you’ll have time later to compensate for it. Indulge in whatever keeps you sane during finals week; trust me, it’s okay.
- Give yourself study breaks. This is not to get confused with procrastinating, and is only acceptable if you’ve actually been studying. Reward yourself by taking a small break and give your brain some time to rest. You could go for a walk, check your online social networks, watch some TV, or maybe even nap. Go ahead, you deserve it.
- Have some confidence. Don’t convince yourself that you’re going to fail every single exam before you’ve even started studying. Have faith in your abilities to roundhouse kick these finals in the jaw. And recognize that if you do fail, it’s not the end of the world. Don’t beat yourself up over it. Learn from it and move on.
Collegiettes, just remember that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Study hard and good luck on your finals!