- - ayiMori - -

It is sadly that time of year again... finals. Que all the crying and stress that accompanies these exams.

Anyways, I have some quick tips for finals that I follow. And I mean quick, because you should quit procrastinating by reading this and start studying.

{one}
Make a study schedule

Making a study schedule is always a good idea, because it forces you to look at all the stuff you need to review or get ready to write about before hand. That way you know everything that's on your plate, and you can decide how to efficiently tackle it all. I tend to start my study schedule a week before any exam or essay is due, and then I can break apart each task into more reasonable daily tasks, allowing myself to work on just a little bit each day.


{two}
Sleep

You've probably heard this a lot already, but sleep is really important for you. I know that pulling a late night to cram in those final notes seems important, but in reality the next morning if you're so tired you can barely function, are you really going to be able to efficiently recall everything you were studying. My professor has told us countless stories of students falling asleep during her morning finals, or just not showing up altogether. With that in mind, what I do is follow my study schedule, and then the night before the exam I go to bed a reasonable hour. The next morning I quickly skim through my notes and read my TLDR review sheet during breakfast, right before my exam.


{three}
Workout and eat right

This also sounds like your parents preaching to you.. but it is important! Working out can relieve stress, whether it be running or yoga. This is a great way to help your body, but also give yourself a short break. Another reason why this is important is because of all the things people tend to eat during finals. I myself am guilty of this, but when exams hit I eat anything, and I don't care if it's healthy or not. This is bad because not only am I consuming bad things in excess for my body, but when you stress your body already naturally produces more glucose. This means you have extra sugar, that will get converted into fat if you're not working out or eating right. Besides, an excess of sugar can also make you feel more sluggish and tired, two feelings that you don't want while studying.


{four}
Study groups

I'm sometimes a bit iffy on study groups. I think if you're the type of person who will benefit it, plan some! It will force you to pick a time to study or write with other people, and you have to stick to these plans! Plus you also get to work with other people, so if you are unsure about something, you can always ask them for help.

However, my concern with study groups is feeling overwhelmed. I have found myself in a few instances where everyone is stressing out so much, that I leave the study group feeling more stressed out than I did in the first place. Definitely not something that helps.


{five}
Use your professors

If this is something you haven't been doing all year, you should probably start now. Professors and TAs are around and willing to help you out with your exam. No one actively is going out of their way to fail you, so you minus as well use all the resources you have and ask for help! I'm currently a TA and I have to say that students who ask me questions tend to do better, because I can clarify and reinforce things they were wondering about. I know that professors also will do the same, and sometimes better than TAs. Everyone understands that finals are stressful, they just want to be able to help you.