With officially less than a month until the last week of school is finally here, we all still have one final hurdle to get over. Finals.
If you’re anything like me, seasonal gloom hit about February, and now that we are finally getting sunshine and summer is within viewing distance, this is about the time of year I start losing motivation. Which honestly, is the worst time of year to decide to slack off.
But fear not, I have some tips to (hopefully) help you get through these last few weeks successfully!
One: An hour today studying is worth three during finals week. Don’t cram. The day your professor covers the material that will be on the final, is the day you need to start studying for your final. If your final is going to be a cumulative final, grab all your prior study guides and exams and start re-studying them now.
Sure, it may seem like a waste of time, as you have weeks before you’re going to be tested on it. But, if you start diligently studying those exams and guides now by the time that final rolls around you will be able to fly through that final. I took a 50-test question in eight minutes and only got three questions wrong using this method. From personal experience, I promise you this works.
Two: Do NOT wait until May to start your papers and projects that are due finals week. I cannot stress this enough. If you know the requirements, start today! If you have yet to exactly nail down your topic, dedicate 10 minutes to just sit down and actually choose it. Generally, the hardest step in a project is the first one. Once you know what you’re going to write your paper on or cover in your presentation, you can finally take the next step.
Three: Sit down and work for one hour. Pick an assignment you need to work on or class you need to study for, set an hour timer and get to work. If you know you can’t study in your dorm room, then don’t even bother setting up there. Find a place where you won’t get distracted and actually make it a point to work. I’ve heard a lot of people say “Oh I could never sit and focus that long without getting distracted.” Well, now is the time to learn. Once you leave college you won’t get an Instagram break every 15 minutes, so now is the best time to start practicing!
Four: Take an hour to study, and then go outside, to the gym, or to hang out with friends. You will get burned out and you will lose focus if you try and cram for too long. You’ll be much more likely to retain information in small chunks than everything all at once. Try an hour of studying, go do other things for a few hours and come back to study for an hour. If you do this everyday for the next month, you will ace your finals without stress.
Five:Relax! Yes, finals are important and often have a large impact on your grade and GPA. But if you have been diligent all semester, even if you don’t get an A on your test doesn’t mean you failed the class. It also doesn’t mean you are unintelligent or an ignoramus, it just means you need to work a little harder next semester.
