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The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at OSU chapter.

Finals week can seem scary, especially to new students. Don’t worry, though — there are ways to navigate it, manage stress and get the grades you want. Here are my four favorite finals week tips that will help you survive!

plan Your studying

I think the most important step to a successful finals week is to plan your studying. When finals are approaching, I like to map out exactly what I want to do each day, whether that’s studying specific chapters or slides, memorizing key topics or practicing questions. With planning, I can spread out my work, avoid procrastination, minimize stress and prevent myself from having to cram for an exam the night before.

Opened Paper Notebook
Photo by Marco Verch distributed under a CC BY 2.0 license
study in public

I started studying in public last semester and found that it helps me stay productive. I love to study in libraries, cafes or classroom buildings. If I am around other people who are studying, it is easier for me to stay focused and off of my phone. If I study at home, it is harder to keep myself from taking extended breaks or lying down to watch an episode of TV where I’ll fall asleep and throw my studying completely off schedule. If you prefer to study at home, try sitting at your desk and setting timers for your breaks to avoid this.

coffee on table next to laptop
Pixabay from Pexels
Listen to Instrumental music

When I study, I like to have songs or movies playing in the background, but I have found that when I have a lot of work to do and need to be productive, music without lyrics is the best option. I like to use YouTube live streams of study music so I don’t have to worry about ads interrupting. You can find a wide variety of live streams with different themes, visuals and types of music. My favorite is the Lofi Girl live stream that plays Lofi music and has an animation of a girl studying that always keeps me motivated to study.

take breaks

Organizations around campus hold events on reading day that allow for de-stressing. At Ohio State, the Ohio Union Activities Board is hosting a free screening of “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World” and the Recreational Sports Group Fitness schedule has themed classes like “Chappell Roan Ride & Restore” and “Barre-bie.” Keep an eye out for reading day and finals week events, and make sure to take advantage of these opportunities for brain breaks!

A room with books and a candle
Photo by Alisa Anton from Unsplash
Natalie Zargari is a third year undergraduate psychology and economics major at Ohio State University. She has experience working as a pricing intern at a technology company and as a barista at an on-campus coffee shop. She is graduating in May 2025. Some fun facts about Natalie are that she is a triplet and that she has two dogs named Roxie and Shelby. She likes to get tattoos. She has six, including the sun from “Tangled” and Adelaide’s scissors from “Over the Garden Wall.” She loves chai lattes, going on walks while listening to musical soundtracks, sweet tea, seeing movies on opening night, studying outside, rewatching Pixar movies and drawing.