Tips for Surviving Finals Week
Whether this is your first tango with final examinations in college or you have already gone up against them, finals are just as stressful for upperclassmen as they are for freshmen.
While students are running around and desperately trying to finish their work for classes, as well as study for exams, here are some tips to help you face this week with the least amount of stress as possible.
- Get plenty of rest.
If you try to pull all-nighters for one, or all of your finals, the information you spent all night studying has a greater chance of not staying in your sleep-deprived mind. Studying and then resting will improve the chances of you remembering the information the next day, or even a few hours from your study session if your final is that same day.
“You should take care of yourself,” said Cassandra Courtney, a junior Physician Assistant major and Women’s Studies minor. “Because if you feel good, you will feel more focused.”
- Study in groups or with at least one other person.
When studying by yourself, it is easier to become distracted or just push it off until later. When studying with someone else, it is easier to stay focused and on task. You can also have them quiz you during your study sessions.
- This next tip might sound odd, but it might work for you: consider studying with music. It may not work for everyone, but it is definitely worth trying.
Research has shown that studying with music, usually a specific genre, helps when trying to recall answers or explanations on a test. If you study one course with one genre and then go in to take the final, playing the song in your mind can help you remember the answers because you were looking at them while that song was playing in the background.
