As the semester hurdles to a close and finals loom ominously on the horizon, students are already tearing out their hair, sobbing in corners, or frantically highlighting textbooks. If you are guilty of becoming a broken shell of yourself as exams loom, stop! With the help of these few simple tips you can sail confidently through your finals.
Tip One:
Go to bed by 10:00 p.m and wake up at 6:00 a.m. No, I’m not kidding. The first step to a decent study regimen is to arrive at your desk bright eyed and bushy tailed, with your body well rested and your brain fully engaged. Zombies don’t learn anything no matter how hard they hit their heads with books. Putting your body into a strictly enforced sleep schedule that involves you going to bed at a decent hour and waking up with the birds not only gives you energy for the day but gives you plenty of time to get dressed.
Tip Two:
Put down the fatty, salty junk food and eat healthier. Your diet directly affects how efficiently your brain works, and will make a difference in how much information you retain and how quickly. Finals are stressful enough with sluggishness, weight gain and terrible skin making you feel even worse. If changing your diet entirely seems like too much effort or money, then simply revolutionize one meal. Have fruit and toast with peanut butter for breakfast instead of a poptart and watch your mornings improve!
Tip Three:
Buy a big desk calendar and mark down when every exam you have is, then set a study schedule based around that and other obligations, like work and classes. I personally find that knowing where and what I should be doing each day removes a lot of anxiety. Don’t forget to schedule leisure time to keep yourself sane. Breaks for favorite t.v shows, lunches with friends and hot bubble baths are essential to keep yourself from suffering a psychotic break.
Tip Four:
Prioritize your subjects! The class you love that you currently have an A in can be reduced to only three times a week, while the class you’re barely scraping a C in needs to be reviewed daily. Remember, you don’t really know the material until you can teach it (accurately!) to someone else. Write an essay on it, record a video of yourself speaking about the subject or create and distribute flash cards and get your friends to ambush-quiz you during the day.
It’s a fact that finals can make you break you but resist the urge to fall into despair! With these tips you can approach the coming week ready to prove to the world that you don’t need dark rituals or lucky talismans to pass your classes. Good luck and Godspeed!