It’s Halloween!

Guess what that means? October is over. When you wake up tomorrow (possibly even when you go to bed tonight), it will be November. November, the last full month of the semester, when all the big papers and projects you were supposed to be working on all semester are due—the month you begin preparing for finals. (cue spooky chord of music)

This is generally when I decide that college isn’t as fun as I thought it was anymore. (Can I come home now, Mom?) Finals are awful. But you’ve got to survive them somehow. Below are a few tips for getting through the month before finals that I’ve collected from personal experience.

1. You should always start studying earlier than you think you need to.

Let’s be honest—we’ve all found ourselves frantically going over index cards the night before a final because we didn’t set aside enough time to study beforehand, and we’ll all find ourselves there again. It happens. It’s not fun, though, and it’s usually preventable. Find out now whether your final will be on material for the whole year or only material from after the midterm and start studying accordingly.

2. Save time to relax.

Relax? Who has time for that? Guess what? You do! Because you started studying weeks before everyone else did and you’re not panicking about memorizing every boldface term in chapters 8-14 in the week leading up to the exam. You already know them. So while your friends are stressing out about all the studying they’re only just starting, you’re on a beach sipping a drink with a little umbrella in it. In your dream. Because you have time to take a nap.

3. Eat carrot sticks.

Hear me out. When you’re studying, you want to eat. When you want to eat, you want something crunchy. Carrots are crunchy. They’re also healthier than chips, and you’ll feel better afterwards than you would if you’d eaten something out of a deflated plastic bag. Plus, you can tell your mom that you ate carrots and she’ll be proud of you. Everyone is happy.

4. Invest in baggy sweatpants and fuzzy socks.

These are so important and everyone should have at least two pairs of each. They help when the time comes to curl up in a corner and cry about all the studying you still have to do.

5. Ask questions.

Professors and TAs are scary. I get it. But they’re being paid to help you, so make them do their job. If you have questions about the material or what you need to be studying, ask them! Nine times out of ten, they’ll be delighted that a student actually came to them for help. They’re an invaluable resource that not enough people take advantage of.

Go get ‘em, kids.