Rock out finals week

pressable December 15, 2011

Finals week… a time of energy drinks, coffee, and no sleep. Finals week is a time when the average student has two outlooks on their exams. The first: “I’m going to do so well, I don’t need to study.” And the second “I’m going to do so well because I’m studying so much!” But it’s quite easy to lose your sanity during this hectic time and to stress out too much to be any good during your exams. As a first year at Florida Tech, and a second year student, here’s some advice I have about finals week in college.

Start early!
I know that it is very difficult to get motivated to start studying earlier, but the truth is, if you review the material every week instead of trying to cram it all in at the end, it is much easier to retain the information instead of trying to pack an entire semester of material that you may not be thrilled about into your head the night before. Make your study guides a few weeks before the exam if you don’t want to study every single week, but the earlier you start, the better you’ll do!
Take breaks!
Taking breaks is one of the best things that you can do when you’re studying for several hours straight. It gets boring and monotonous staring at the same page over and over, without digesting any of the information because your brain is turning to mush and you’re thinking about what you’d rather be doing instead of being in the library studying chemistry or calculus. Having movie dates with your friends or your roommates is a great idea, or even just taking a quick nap!
Eat three meals!
Don’t skip meals. Your brain needs the energy and you will be way less miserable in your room or the library studying for finals if your stomach is full than if it keeps yelling at you for food.
Become friends with the library!
the library is a great resource for finals week. If you can get there early enough before finals, you can book study rooms with whiteboards and projectors, and even if you can’t, there’s always a silent place to study. If you need a little clamor, the first floor will be your best friend. If you need computers or less noise than the first floor, try the second floor. The third floor is pretty much a whisper only area, and the fourth floor is the quiet floor with the antigravity chairs. No matter what your study preferences are, there’s a room at the library for you!
Have a study partner!
This was the first year that I studied with a partner and it honestly helped me a lot. We would get together and go over problems, study guides, our past quizzes, and just help each other in places where our knowledge was weak. Studying with a partner also makes it really easy to stay focused and not harp on how long you’ve been studying.
SLEEP!
Sleep is important! It doesn’t matter how much you study for an exam if you sleep through it the next day or if you’re too tired to coherently answer questions the next morning.