Finals week; everyone's worst fear and biggest relief. One way to avoid a disastrous finals week is to have an effective, restorative dead week. Professors are recommended to not cover new information the week before finals, and that rule is usually followed. Some students use this opportunity to get in a few crazy nights before they go crazy from studying during finals week, but there are more effective ways to utilize this crucial five days of class. This less stressful week of class is an opportunity to catch up on sleep, review early, and ask professors crucial questions.

A solid amount of sleep leading into finals week is essential to doing well on finals. With less homework the week before, I have made it a goal to get to sleep at a more respectable time. I already know that I will not sleep nearly enough during finals week, so coming in ahead of schedule or at least not behind will make finals week less stressful for one's body. I have found it necessary to touch on every class I am taking at least once a day in dead week leading towards finals week. This will ensure that despite the fact that homework is lacking that learned material does not exit before comprehensive exams to come.

Dead week is also time to start reviewing early for that final later on in the week. Thursday or Friday finals are thought to be easier on students because they have more time to review, but I do not think this is true. I find I have more time to study for my early finals with the weekend before. First semester I distinctly remember a panic filled Wednesday night before a Thursday morning test because there was no time during the week to study for that test with other tests more pressing. This semester I plan to start early as far as studying for the later finals goes. They are not any easier in my case, but I will prepare just the same while using dead week to my advantage. This method of time management will hopefully keep the test scores consistent rather than starting a sprint and ending in a pathetic heap.

The final way to take advantage of dead week is the utilization of extended office hours. This is a great opportunity to make sure professors know your name and character if your grade were to be on a cut between two letter grades. This is never something to count on, but it can be a GPA saver if professors think their students are legitimately interested in what they are teaching. While visiting the professor during their hours also ask about any unfamiliar concepts. Asking about a challenging problem on a test is a great idea because if the class struggled with it before, then it will likely come back again on the final to see if students learn from their previous mistakes. Dead week is a great opportunity to prevent one from the dying in the week to follow.