I know I know, this week is the worst. But it doesn't have to be. I remember my first finals week like it was yesterday. I was stressed, scared, tired, and the word "overwhelmed" was an understatement. I had four tests and a paper, AND a final portfolio due.
I didn't know how I was going to handle all of it, or make it out alive. I'm here to tell you that I made, and so will you. Here are some tips and pieces of advice that I wish I knew going through my first finals week.
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1. Sleep is possible, and important.
I know that feeling. You have to make and A on this test to pass the class and you need all the study time you can get. OR, you have a huge paper due tomorrow and you've spent all your time studying and you're just now starting. Let me tell you, you need sleep. After about 3 a.m., your brain will start to shut down and you won't retain the things that you read. Or, if you're typing a paper, your words won't make much sense.
It's a much better idea to go to sleep and wake up an hour or two earlier than normal. Also, your brain needs sleep to function, re-cooperate, and most importantly, retain information. Plan your days out accordingly so that you can get at least six hours of sleep every night. This is not quite the necessary eight hours, but it's a good compromise for finals week. Trust me, if you make sleep a priority, you WILL feel better, study harder and score better on your exams. Which bring me to my next point:
2. Most "all-nighters" just turn into wasted time.
The first time I pulled an all-nighter was my first night of freshman year finals week. Several of my friends and I had the same exam at 8 a.m., so we thought it would be an excellent idea to stay up all night to study and go straight to our exam. You know what happened? 80 percent of the time we were in the library, we were doing cartwheels, chugging RedBulls, running around in circles, and doing literally anything to keep us awake, and we hardly even studied. I'm pretty sure I made a D on my exam the next day. Sadly, this is a very common case. The majority of time during an all nighter is wasted on social media, talking to friends, or just saying to yourself "I should be studying."
3. Everyone exaggerates during finals week.
This is sad, but true. I don't know why, but for some reason, finals week turns everyone into a pitty party. All of the sudden, everything turns into a competition. People try to one-up each other on the "feel sorry for me" meter. For example, if someone says "I have two tests tomorrow" someone else will say, "oh yeah? I have two tests tomorrow AND a project due!"
The same goes for hours of sleep. Please, please, don't be one of these people. Just because someone says that they didn't get any sleep last night does not mean that you have to stay up all night to say the same thing to them tomorrow. And honestly, if someone says they didn't get any sleep, they probably still got at least 3-4 hours. A lot of the finals week drama is just for show. If you feel good and confident, there is absolutely nothing wrong with you. You're doing finals week right!
4. Alternate between subjects while studying.
Your brain can only retain so much information at one time. So, if you start feeling overwhelmed with one class, switch to study for another class for a while. If you're writing a paper and you get stuck on what to write next, take a break and flip through some flash cards for another class. This way, you can take a break without feeling guilty, because you technically are not wasting any time.
5. Get some exercise.
Go for a quick jog, take the stairs, do some push ups, literally do anything to get your blood flowing. One thing I've heard works really well is to record yourself reading your notes, pop in some headphones, and go for a walk or a run. If you throw in a little bit of activity into your study schedule, you have more energy, more motivation, and just feel 100 percent better all around.
6. Be confident.
Confidence is key. When you go into a test, know that you have studied as much as you possibly could, and you have done your best to prepare yourself for this. You can't ask anything but the best from yourself. So hold your head high, and begin your test knowing that you're about to crush it.
If you come to an answer that you don't know or remember, always go with your first instinct. If it's an essay question, just write everything that comes to your head. Most likely, what you put will be write. Especially if you studied! The more confident you are, the better you will score.
I hope you found these tips to be helpful! You're going to make it through this week, I promise. Know you're prepared, get some sleep, move your body, and be confident! You got this!
