Surviving the End of the Semester

Thanksgiving is by far the cruelest holiday. You got a little taste of Christmas when you went home to eat freshly cooked meals and see your family, only to return to a pile of papers, an intense two weeks of classes, and finals. The last thing anyone wants to do right now is study, but unfortunately, those of us who weren’t wise enough to pick classes without any final exams have to do so. Here are some tips to get through the stress without going crazy:

Exercise

Make sure to take a break from studying to exercise. If you find yourself losing concentration, there is no point in staring at your book. You won’t be taking anything in, so go to the gym! You don’t need to go and run on the treadmill for an hour, but even just a twenty-minute run (or elliptical) will automatically relieve some stress and make you feel 1000 times better (yeah, that’s basically a fact).

Sleep

I am sure you’ve been told time and time again that you need to get enough sleep, but honestly don’t try and sustain yourself on caffeine alone! You may feel like you need pull an all-nighter before your exam in order to learn all of the material, but if you don’t get enough sleep, you won’t remember the material anyway. You store memories while you sleep!

Leave your room

Your room has too many distractions. If you try to study there, you will spend most of your time napping, packing, cleaning— let’s be honest, doing anything other than studying. You may not like the library, but there are other options. And let’s face it, even if you want to trek to Perkins, you probably won’t find a place to study. People move into the library for these last few weeks of school. You might want to try a café off-campus, instead of surrounding yourself by distractions like other stressed students.

Stay calm

You’re stressed and people are getting on your nerves easily, but remember that everyone is equally as stressed as you are. So don’t blow up at someone if they move your book or at your roommate if they are being too noisy. Try to remain calm. The last thing you want is to add strained friendships to the list of stressors.

Study

It’s easy to give up on your classes at this point and say it’s only one exam, or that you’ve already prepared enough, but don’t throw away the semester’s work for a few final nights at Shooters. You will be disappointed if that A turns into a B because you didn’t work enough.

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