The time has come! Finals week is upon us and as we approach
this week everyone is trying to calculate their grades in their classes so that
they can see how shitty they can do on their final to still pass the class.
Coffee will be poured, obscenities will be shouted as people look upon
confusing school material, and before you know it, those syllabi that have
dictated our lives for the past few months will be sitting comfortably in the
trash as we go on to enjoy three month of non-intellectual bliss. To get
through this week however, here are a few tips that will help you survive the
next seven days with a little bit of your sanity left over.
1. Do not go on a caffeine binge to those few extra hours of
studying done.
I know that this is tempting for college students and it is
easy to do. “Oh why don’t I just have eight cups of coffee and then I will be
up for a long time and then I can study more?” DON’T DO IT! First, other than
the fact that caffeine in large does is extremely unhealthy for you, you will
be pretty unproductive. As a freshman, I too came to the library with an energy
drink in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other and was ready to stop at
nothing until I mastered the content of my class I was studying for. Hours
later however, I found myself shaky, unfocused, and feeling extremely crummy as
the stress and my body preferring the idea of a warm comfy bed as opposed to a
quiet library with nothing but me and a bunch of books. If you need some
energy, then having some caffeine in moderation is perfectly fine, but don’t go
overboard. A little bit will help you
through the wee hours of the night, but beware of the notion that more caffeine
equals a more productive you, because in the case of caffeine you will just be
that really jittery person at the library, wondering what the hell you’re even
doing there in the first place.
2. Do not stay up until the sun is rising the next day.
You look at the corner of your computer screen and see the
clock read 5:59 AM. You’ve been at the library since 6 PM the day before and
you’re determined to just get one more chapter done before you pack up your
things and go get four hours of sleep and do it again, but at what cost to your
studies and your body is this coming to? Beware of the vicious cycle that study
for finals can bring about. It took me awhile to figure out that after my
twelfth consecutive hour of study I was simply at information overload and was
not concentrating on the important concepts that I should have. This past year
I just thought that I would just study as much as I could until about midnight
(sometimes an hour or so later even) and then get to bed earlier, get a good night’s
sleep, wake up early the next day, and
hit the books. This strategy was not only effective in how I retained
information and was a lot more energetic in my studies, but my body didn’t hate
me due to the little amount of sleep I was getting. I know that studying almost
nonstop sounds like it has a huge payoff, but after a certain amount of time,
your body and mind want to call it quits and you need to give yourself some
time to recover and soak in everything you
have covered up to that point. So in summary, get a good night’s sleep,
and hit the books hard, but during the day, not in the wee hours of the night.
3. Give yourself some “you” time.
This is as unproductive as it sounds, but it necessary.
While everyone around campus is getting real intimate with their textbooks and
the illuminated computer screen in front of them has students in a trance,
where is there any time during finals week for a student to release some stress
and not have their brain going at 100 miles per hour? I am by no means saying
to do things that will detract from your studying, get your work done first,
but whether it be a small break, or a relaxing way to end your night, if you
just take a little time out of your finals week and do something for you, I
promise that there will be no regrets. Let me reiterate that this doesn’t have
to be anything grand or spectacular. Whether it’s a game of FIFA, sitting back
and watching a movie after getting your studying done for the night, or taking
the time to make a really nice home cooked meal, do something that will give
you a sigh of relief with all of the stress around you and it will help you to
cope with everything you have to do. Maybe it will even help you study more effectively
as you look forward to your activity you have planned for yourself later that
day!
4. Indulge in one guilty pleasure every day.
Now, when I say guilty pleasure, I highly advise using
discretion when deciding what this guilty pleasure is. Getting absolutely
tanked everyday of finals week is probably not the best idea and I wouldn’t
advise having too much fun, but (within reason) why not splurge on yourself to
counteract all of the stress you are putting up with? I won’t go into this too
much, as I’m sure each of you has something in mind already that will help you
go through this week, but just remember to not be afraid to indulge every day
this week because we both know how good it feels to do so. For me, I will make
sure that every staff member at Chipotle knows my name, as I will be steadily
giving them all of my money this week and I drown myself in burritos and
guacamole. Find your guilty pleasure and for the next seven days, break the
rules.
5. Have a go-to
playlist for studying.
This almost goes without saying, but it is an important
reminder nonetheless. I know many of you are fans of Pandora and have a list of
channels that you always default to for some feel good study music, and by no
means deviate from that if that’s what works for you, but why not make a
playlist in your iTunes that you can tailor even more specifically to you? I
don’t know why, but when it comes to study music, I seldom trust the judgment
of Pandora and make a list of song that I can hypnotically listen to as I am
doing my work. Just something to consider. Also, I recommend making this
playlist as diverse as possible so that no matter what your mood your playlist
can always capture one of your moods. Classical, pop, rock, and hip-hop are
just a few genres that will put you in the right direction to some solid music
to zone out and study the night away. I won’t list specific artists or songs,
just pick out what you know you like, and put that shit on loop.
Good luck with studying everyone, and may the curve ever be in
your favor! (Yes I used a Hunger Games line…deal with it.)
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