The reality is, college is HARD, and pushing through finals week can be even harder for many students. As finals season swiftly approaches, the negative ways in which seasonal changes, material overload, and brain fog affect our ability to study can be so real. But don’t worry, I’ve got you! Here’s a list of study and self-care tips made just for you, so that you can nail those finals, not fail them.
- Sleepers Keepers
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In order to keep pulling in the last of those excellent grades like you have all year, you’re going to have to sacrifice some TikTok doom scrolling, hangouts with friends, and typical late night college activities to prioritize your best friend called sleep! Ideally, college students should try to aim for about 7-9 hours each night, as it helps avoid brain fog, drowsiness, and overall anxiety which negatively affect the way we learn. If you have a lot of studying the next day, start winding down for bed before the clock hits 10 P.M. to give your body and mind enough time to relax so you can peacefully drift into your dreams.
- Get Caffeinated
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Whether your guilty pleasure drink is a Celsius, iced coffee, or a soda, feel free to grab one. Reaching for something with caffeine or sugar can get you out of bed in the morning and keep you out of it. This can be expensive in the long run, but so is the cost of your education. If you’re paying all this money for a piece of paper, you might as well do everything you can to learn, which is impossible when you aren’t even awake. If you’re financially concerned, most universities offer meal plans you can use at your local coffee shop to purchase these beverages.
If you’re not much of a caffeine girly, that’s okay too! Just don’t forget to drink plenty of water throughout the day, your body needs it just as much! However, if you do drink caffeine, be mindful of what time you consume it. The later you drink it, the less productive you’ll be during the day, which could lead to insomnia. The earlier you drink it, the more efficiently you work during the day, letting you relax at night.
- Clean Space, Clear Mind
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Like Maddy from Euphoria says, “Out of sight, out of mind.” Cleaning is one of the most underrated de-stressing activities. The process of cleaning and keeping it clean reduces stress levels significantly. The amount of times I’ve tried studying but been too worried about the mess I’d come home to can truly affect the way I retain information. Chances are, if you’re procrastinating on cleaning it, you’ll also procrastinate on your work too, only leading to a spiral of un-productivity. Even if all you do is make your bed, clear off your desk, and keep up with laundry, it’ll make a world of difference when you finally sit down to focus on the work that’s actually in front of you.
- Study Scenes and Spots
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Pick a spot, any spot… except your dorm room. I know it sucks to hear, but it’ll be too tempting for you to crawl back into bed, give into your phone and possibly fall asleep. Instead, opt for a public setting where other students are studying too. From experience, whenever I study in a place with other students around me, I feel 1000% more motivated. Since we’re all college students struggling weekly with new pressures and academic stress, it’s comforting to know that the person next to me at the library is going through it too. Coffee shops, libraries, and parks are some of the top tier on-campus locations to spice up your study sesh with some pretty scenery while “locking-in.”
- Make a Game Plan
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Knowing your goals from the get-go once you sit down is a great way to maintain the necessary momentum to finish out finals season with a bang. This could be studying for your first final, catching up on emails, or scheduling your upcoming week with your planner. When arriving at your study spot, know what your priorities are when it comes to exams and deadlines so you can work with time rather than against it.
Before you get started, create and keep a tidy and organized environment in front of you so you don’t have to keep annoyingly digging through your bag—it’ll only keep you sidetracked. Just the essentials are good! This could be your laptop, a notebook or iPad for notes, a pen, headphones and your favorite caffeinated drink (or some water on the side.)
- Find Your Motivation
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It’s easy to get so caught up in the stress of memorization and forgetting material that you begin to question, “Why am I even here?” But I’m here to tell you that once you find your own light in the tunnel of college, your path to success becomes so much clearer. Ask yourself… “What is my motivation?” Is it the upcoming break following finals? Is it your future career path? Is it that vacation you can’t wait for this summer? Whatever your motivation is to you, utilize it to remind yourself why you are working so hard in the first place. Trust me, it’ll help you tremendously in pushing through these last few weeks of studying for finals.
Now, getting to the actual studying part…
- know what methods are most effective.
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It’s crucial to know what methods are most effective. Active recall is one of the best “hacks” from my study experience. All you have to do is review your material, put it away, and instantly quiz yourself from memory. Afterwards, check your answers to better understand what topics you know like the back of your hand versus those that need further reviewing so you can focus on the topics that really matter.
- Flashcards!
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The next method is simply making flashcards for your final exam. Whether it’s a cumulative exam or not, making the flashcards themselves is a way of actively studying and reviewing this semester’s material. Whenever you go to use them for the first time, guess the answer before you flip it- you’ll be surprised at how much information you just retaught yourself. If you’re more of a technology person, I highly recommend Quizlet, but if physically writing out the questions is better for you, use paper ones! Only you know what works best for you.
- use images
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For all of my visual peeps, the third method is to associate the facts with images. When I took anatomy, the way I memorized the skull was to think about what each bone reminded me of. For example, to remember that the Mandible was your jaw bone, I would think about how sharp Zac Effron’s jawline was. Not just because he was my celeb crush or anything, but because a man tends to have a sharper jawline than a woman. It sounds silly now, but it definitely improved my final exam scores, so don’t forget to try that!
- teach your friends
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The next method is to teach a friend or group of friends all of your material for that final. You’ll memorize the material better, and it’ll give your friends a study break, and who knows—maybe they’ll get something out of it too, like finding a new interest! If you’re nervous about your exam, know that your friends are just as nervous for theirs. But at the end of the day they’re all cheering you on from the sideline, as you are them. All of our majors are hard, or else we wouldn’t have to study, it would all just come naturally. Just remember, you’re supposed to be challenged, but you’ve already made it this far, so you go girl!
- review before bed
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The final method is to review your material before you go to sleep. This could replace your reading time that night, if that’s your night routine ritual. I promise it’ll relax your eyes just as much before bed but also ease your mind for your exam. Scientific studies show that whatever you review right before bed, you’re more likely to remember when it comes to your exam the next day. It’s like your brain will just know. If you’re having trouble falling asleep, instead of counting sheep, try remembering everything you studied for that day and repeat the facts you memorized in your head. Not only will your brain retain knowledge better from that day, you’ll hit the hay faster after all of that academic weaponing.
Okay girl boss…time to breathe! Rewarding yourself after a long day’s worth of hard work and discipline always hits different! So take an everything-shower, do a face mask, drink some tea, and finally climb into your bed with your favorite show, because you deserve it! Taking time you take for yourself will help you refresh and rejuvenate physically and mentally to repeat the grinding process tomorrow. Don’t forget to do this on the nights after a big final—you’ll feel so accomplished. Now sleep tight, and don’t let your test anxiety bite!