PREPARING FOR FINALS WEEK
DERWIN BOWENS
It’s that time of year again when the semester is almost completed and students start preparing for final exams. Are you ready to be done with the first half of this academic year? Are you ready to survive finals week once more in your lifetime? Well, here are some useful tips to help you successfully get through your finals and reach winter break.
1. Make sure you get good sleep.
Sleep is very important when preparing to study for final exams. I know we’ve all worked by that theory, “If I study longer, I’ll learn the material better,” but that’s not always true. Studies show that a healthy adult should get at least seven to eight hours of sleep every night. I know for us college students seven to eight hours of sleep is very complicated to come by, but making an effort to come as close as you can will make all the difference in your mood and how you process information the next day. So make sure that when you’re studying for exams, you’re getting enough sleep at night to help you get through the day and remain focused on the material.
Sleep is very important when preparing to study for final exams. I know we’ve all worked by that theory, “If I study longer, I’ll learn the material better,” but that’s not always true. Studies show that a healthy adult should get at least seven to eight hours of sleep every night. I know for us college students seven to eight hours of sleep is very complicated to come by, but making an effort to come as close as you can will make all the difference in your mood and how you process information the next day. So make sure that when you’re studying for exams, you’re getting enough sleep at night to help you get through the day and remain focused on the material.
2. Manage your time wisely
When preparing for finals week, it’s important that all your time is spent wisely. Know how long to spend going over material for each class each day. Look at your classes and decide which courses come easier to you, and which courses you struggle with a little more. The classes that you could still show improvement in are the classes you should dedicate more time to because most likely those will be your harder finals to pass. Make sure that during the day, school work, job duties, club/organization work, and any other priorities are equally being attended to in a timely matter. Organizing your time will ultimately help you get closer to where you want to be when getting ready for finals.
When preparing for finals week, it’s important that all your time is spent wisely. Know how long to spend going over material for each class each day. Look at your classes and decide which courses come easier to you, and which courses you struggle with a little more. The classes that you could still show improvement in are the classes you should dedicate more time to because most likely those will be your harder finals to pass. Make sure that during the day, school work, job duties, club/organization work, and any other priorities are equally being attended to in a timely matter. Organizing your time will ultimately help you get closer to where you want to be when getting ready for finals.
3. Eating habits
Maintaining a healthy eating diet can help prepare you for finals week exams. Eating certain foods can help improve some of your senses, such as carrots do for your vision and gum does to help you get through stressful tasks, studies have said. Breakfast is a great way to start your day because it gets your body energized to start being productive and get moving. You don’t want to eat heavy portions of food each day because that will cause your body to de-energize becoming drowsy and tired when trying to study. Small fruits are good snacks to eat throughout the day to continue to spark that energy and remain focused on your material.
Maintaining a healthy eating diet can help prepare you for finals week exams. Eating certain foods can help improve some of your senses, such as carrots do for your vision and gum does to help you get through stressful tasks, studies have said. Breakfast is a great way to start your day because it gets your body energized to start being productive and get moving. You don’t want to eat heavy portions of food each day because that will cause your body to de-energize becoming drowsy and tired when trying to study. Small fruits are good snacks to eat throughout the day to continue to spark that energy and remain focused on your material.
4. Spend more time indoors; go out less
Finals week is the week that can make or break most people’s semesters, so it’s important that priorities are exactly where they should be. If you know your accounting exam, for example, is not your best class and requires additional studying than your other courses, you probably shouldn’t go out partying the entire weekend before. Instead, stay in and put that same effort and energy to your studies. I promise you’ll see a difference in your course grade if you stay committed and focused on what’s important. I understand that everybody’s excited about the semester finally ending, but celebrate AFTER all your exams are done and finished with. Parties come and go and will always be around, but you only get one shot at final exams; handle your studying responsibly.
So you see, there are many ways that you can get started now in preparing for your final exams besides just studying extra hard. If you apply these four tips to your study habits, I guarantee positive results will happen.
Finals week is the week that can make or break most people’s semesters, so it’s important that priorities are exactly where they should be. If you know your accounting exam, for example, is not your best class and requires additional studying than your other courses, you probably shouldn’t go out partying the entire weekend before. Instead, stay in and put that same effort and energy to your studies. I promise you’ll see a difference in your course grade if you stay committed and focused on what’s important. I understand that everybody’s excited about the semester finally ending, but celebrate AFTER all your exams are done and finished with. Parties come and go and will always be around, but you only get one shot at final exams; handle your studying responsibly.
So you see, there are many ways that you can get started now in preparing for your final exams besides just studying extra hard. If you apply these four tips to your study habits, I guarantee positive results will happen.