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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UCSB chapter.

So, finals are right around the corner and it’s time to start studying and thinking about how to make sure you get the best grades possible. However, this is not possible without considering a few things. To be successful academically, you have to take care of your bodily needs.   

For a lot of people, myself included, preparing for midterms means sacrificing sleep and adopting unhealthy eating habits for the sake of good grades, but getting good grades requires that you take care of yourself accordingly.

Ever since my first midterms in my freshman year, I have found myself constantly losing hours of sleep in the nights leading up to my exams, as well as skipping meals or eating at irregular times. The most confusing part of it all was that I wasn’t even doing as well in my exams and assignments as I had hoped. I would end up having to make up for the work in the following weeks and on finals. My behavior during the midterm season wasn’t healthy, and it wasn’t working either. 

I decided to start making some changes to the way I took care of myself during this time. It took some time and effort, but over time I started to notice better performance in my classes, less stress, as well as just a better attitude towards schoolwork. Here are some tips that have helped me and will help you make sure you have a satisfactory finals season. 

  1. The first and arguably most important thing would be to get enough sleep. Sleep is something that everyone says we will not be getting enough of entering college, so much so that it’s even become a joke. But research shows that your sleep schedule should not be taken lightly. Without the proper amount of sleep, you simply will not be able to perform to your best ability. According to Eric Suni at Sleep Foundation, a lack of sleep can result in decreased attention, impaired memory, and slowed processing, among many other harmful effects. All of these directly relate to one’s ability to do well in school. You should not pull an all-nighter to cram the night before your final and you should not be getting little to no sleep in the days leading up to the final either. It doesn’t help. 
  1. The second would be to make sure to eat well. According to David Goodkind at Daily Titan, not eating well— which happens often when students are studying for exams— can result in cognitive decline and hinder your ability to think straight, which in turn causes a student to perform poorly. Often students prioritize study time over time to eat. However, it is important to have a meal or at least a snack in between studying. Otherwise, you will hardly retain any information at all. 
  1. The third would be to study or spend some time outside. This one is often overlooked. I tend to study or do work at my desk, shut away in my room, as I know is the case for many others. According to Maggie Veneman at Queen’s University, studying outside, or simply spending some time outside, results in lowered stress levels, improved ability to focus, and improved memory. So, instead of settling for any place with a chair and surface to put your things, you should think about finding a place to sit outside, or maybe even going for a walk in between studying. It will help immensely. 

These are just a few ways to prepare yourself during finals season. They may seem unimportant compared to your tests or assignments, but they are quite important. Without taking care of your physical and mental health, you can not do well in school. Hopefully, these become new additions to your studying routine, and you see your academic performance change for the better. 

Hi all! My name is Cassandra Sanchez and I am an English Major at UC Santa Barbara. I am from San Diego, California and my interests include reading, writing, and drawing.