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Student Life

How Not To Die During Finals Week

The library is packed, you're on your 7th cup of coffee for the day, and you're dying inside because exams are the worst.

Emilee Cantrell

Dec 06, 2016

Clemson University

645

Public Domain

Finals week is notoriously the worst week for a college student. Stress levels are high, sleep levels are low, and the library is packed 24/7. Here are a few tips to survive the worst week of the semester.

1. Get off your phone.

Are you really memorizing those equations if you keep replying to a snapchat from your BFF? No. Let's be honest, it's a distraction and you can learn so much more without seeing a Facebook notification every 5 seconds.

2. Throw away the energy drinks.

Okay, maybe drink one. But not at 3 a.m. the day before the exam. Caffeine rushes never end well. In fact, energy drinks don't truly give you any new energy- they just push out all the stored energy you already have, so as soon as it wears off you'll probably feel too tired to function. Instead, focus on drinking plenty of water and staying hydrated.

Also, don't pull an all nighter. I repeat: DO NOT PULL AN ALL NIGHTER. "Sleep is for the weak" is ridiculous. Sleep is very very important to your overall health. USA Today claims that even just getting 4 hours of sleep can improve your score on a test than if you had stayed up studying.

3. Make time for you.

You don't need to spend every waking minute of the every day in the textbook. Make time for an activity that is fun and relaxing. Go for a walk or a run, play a video game, or invite your friends over. Take a nap. Binge watch (but only like 3 episodes because you still should study) your favorite show on Netflix. Find something to get your mind off of the impending doom that is exams.

4. Do study, but selectively.

Don't try to re-learn (or learn for the first time if you're really doing it wrong lolol) the whole course in a day. You won't do it. Instead, look up old exams and practice questions. Strategically go over the more important topics and chapters in the book. It's better to know a few topics very well than only like one thing about each chapter.

5. Don't give up.

I know you are under a ton of stress and you may even be questioning why you're at college. Guess what? You made it to finals week, now you've just got to get through it. You're smarter than you know. You've got this!

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