No matter where you go to school, finals are stressful. For those of us on a quarter system, we get that stress three times a year instead of two. Here at Western, the week before finals is called dead week, because often times there will be smaller quizzes and projects due this week, as well as preparation for finals. Ah, the joy of the American university system.
Here are a few quick tips to survive dead week and finals.
Recommended for you
1. Visit the therapy animals.
If you've never been to visit the therapy animals in the library during dead week and finals, you are missing out. This is, I think, one of the coolest services that WWU provides. These animals have been specially trained to just sit there for hours and be loved by random strangers. It especially helped me, as a freshman, when I missed my dog and cat. To find the therapy dogs (and one cat!), look in the last little corner of Wilson library before the sky-bridge. There is also a schedule there letting you know when which animals will be in-house!
2. Go to the gym.
Especially if you normally work out during the week, but even if you don't, find time to go to the gym. The gym is a place where finals stress cannot find you. It's just a bunch of sweaty humans who are pushing their bodies to the limit: no books or online quizzes here. Even if it's just for 45 minutes, I always feel so much better once I've worked out. In the wise words of Elle Woods, "Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don't shoot their husbands. They just don't."
3. Treat yo' self.
This may be the most important for me. If I'm stressed out and just want to quit doing something, I reward myself for working really hard. For example, after working for six hours editing a video for class, I went to the store and bought myself ice cream and a box of my favorite Girl Scout cookies. I'd worked really hard that day. I deserved some of my favorite treats. You can even use treats as a motivator. "As soon as I finish writing note cards for this chapter, I get a cookie."
4. Maintain a routine.
This is something that I find is very hard to do during this time of the quarter. I, like a lot of Americans, have a weekly routine. I work the same five nights a week, I go to Zumba at the gym Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, etc. I find myself often tempted to break these routines, thinking that if I skip Zumba or get my shift covered, I'll have more time to work on other things. It's a good idea in theory, but I find myself far more likely to goof off if I have unusual downtime. Also, I am far more likely to forget to do something if I'm usually doing something else at that time.
5. Take breaks.
This one is clinically proven to be important. Taking breaks while working on any sort of schoolwork is critical, especially if you are having trouble focusing. Something my drama teacher would have us do when we were trying to memorize lines is to tell us to work on lines for 20 minutes, then take five minutes off, doing something completely different, letting the memories set in. Then go back to the lines for another 20 minutes, and so on. It might be better to do it on a larger scale for studying, but the principle is the same: study for an hour, break for 15 minutes, repeat.
6. Remember to sleep.
This one may sound silly, but it's not. Sleeping, as often as possible, for eight hours a night is critical. Because trying to study when tired is the worst. Also, I recommend naps, if you've got the time. Especially if you know you're going to be up late, an afternoon siesta can really be a lifesaver. Try and avoid caffeine as much as possible -- though I know coffee can't entirely be avoided. But the more you can use proper sleep instead of caffeine, the better you'll feel.
7. Carry snacks around.
I'm serious. Have you ever tried studying when your stomach is growling? It is at best annoying, at worst unbearable. So I try and remember to carry around little baggies of pretzels and carrot sticks to make sure I have something to munch on while I'm working on campus. It has saved me from a) spending too much money on vending machine food, and b) losing focus every five seconds because my hunger is a mighty beast.
8. Go to office hours.
If you are one of those guys that never goes to office hours, shame on you. You are squandering a precious resource. Teachers, the same teachers who are writing your test and assigning your projects, are just sitting in their offices, doors open, literally waiting for you to come and ask them questions. They are required to do this a certain number of times a week. Go to them. Even if you aren't particularly stumped on something, merely talking to them for a little bit will often bring some miraculous insight. I repeat: go to office hours.
9. Make a homework schedule.
This particular tip is something that I'm pretty bad at, but I'm working on it. Try and plan out when you are going to do all of your studying and homework and write it down some place. Something that I've been trying out this quarter is to set my own deadlines for myself that work around my class and work schedule. I am trying to be proactive this quarter and not do anything at the last minute, so I've scheduled out when I'd like do be done with things, and it is always at least a day before it's due. So I've got that deadline in my head instead of the real one, so best case, I'm done early, and worst case, I'm done right on time.
10. Spend one night goofing off.
Eh, this one might be a bit hazy on the helpfulness scale. But one (pre-scheduled) night of goofing off and no homework is important for me. Especially if it is something fun that you do on a weekly basis (see #4). I go to karaoke at Rumors with my coworkers every Monday after work. That is my no-homework night, and making sure that I have one night to goof off and have fun will make the rest of dead week and finals bearable.
So there you have it. With these 10 tips, you are ready to face your finals. May the odds be with you!
