Another page on the calendar is gone, and end of the semester panic is starting to set in! Your professors have probably realized they only have a few weeks to cram everything in, and that is putting quite the stress load on you. With exams, papers, and last minute projects swirling in your mind as finals loom in the distance, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. With the help of these three simple tips, you’ll be good to go and float through the rest of the semester with ease!
First, prioritize! Write every upcoming due date in your planner—this will help you see, at a glance, how crazy busy the month will be! You’ll be able to organize and prioritize a lot better if you know exactly when things are due. Prioritization is key in these last crucial weeks of school. It’s best to focus on things you know will be time consuming first, and then work in the easy stuff. Alternating between difficult projects or papers and quick assignments will be a lot easier on you—it will seem like you’re taking a break from the intense work, but you’re still being productive. The strategy works best when you alternate the subjects, and allows you to get the majority of the larger assignments done first. It’s always easy to do a quick assignment before class starts, so it’s best to prioritize the bigger tasks at the top.
Second, plan for finals! Look at your current grades and calculate what you need for your ideal GPA, if possible. Use that information to organize a study schedule, and to get in the mindset for finals. There is nothing worse than not realizing how you were doing in the class and then learning it’s impossible to get the grade you want! I know it seems a little ridiculous to make a study plan for finals a month in advance, but it will really help you as you wind down the semester. It’ll allow you see what assignments you really need to do well on, and will show you what classes you have a little room to slack in. The better your grades going into finals, the less pressure you’ll have during hell week!
Third, schedule breaks! Whether it’s an hour for coffee with your best friend, or thirty minutes for a quick nap, make sure you give yourself a little rest. Studying is so exhausting, and that can be even worse if you’re already getting stressed. The second you feel overwhelmed, step away from whatever you’re working on. Pop in your headphones, listen to your favorite song, and then get back to work. Those three and a half minutes may not seem like long, but it’ll give your brain a diversion from what you were stressed about in the first place. When making your study schedule, make sure to leave room for breaks as often as possible.
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