Preparing for Preparing for Finals

I'm really sorry to bring this up...but tomorrow is April and it's almost finals season. For anyone in high school, you may have a little longer before your exams start, but here in the college world we've got about 3 weeks until the big event.

Now, we spend a lot of time studying and preparing to take the actual exams, but how often to we mentally and physically prepare ourselves for what we're going to go through while preparing and taking the tests.

Finals week is so dreaded because, 1) it consists of cumulative tests, and 2), its exhausting! But why? We frequently have multiple tests and assignments a week, so why is it so much worse during this one week of the semester?

I'll tell you:

You're sleeping less, you're staring at your computer more, you're thinking harder, you're memorizing a lot of different things, and there's a physical and mental stressor of knowing how important these tests are.

I've put together a list of things you can do to combat these study habits that aren't necessarily good for you. Today, we're preparing ourselves to start preparing for finals. Let's get it.

Time Management

Starting off strong with some time management. Now, during study week, you still have your regular classes, so you need to manage your outside of class time well. Set aside certain times to start and stop studying. If you get out of class at 1, choose to eat lunch from 1-1:30, and then study from 1:30 until 4. After that, you have the rest of the night to rest, work on any other assignments, or do something fun. That's 3.5 hours of studying, that's a decent amount.

Also, your current class assignments can be included in study time. By doing those assignments you are studying and learning the content that will most likely be on the test.

To-Do Lists

When I make my to-do lists, I write things out in no particular order. Then I underline what is due first, and then I mark what is low and high priority. I start with a low, then do a high, and continue going back and forth.

This prevents me from getting burnt out or tired of homework. If you do all of the hard stuff at once, then you're not going to want to continue for very long. But by switching between quick and easy assignments/topics, and harder/longer ones, then you can keep yourself on a good rotation.

Also, I make my to-do list for the day the night before. If I wait until work time, I'll get too stressed out by how many things I need to do and will probably end up forgetting something.

Quizlet

My hero since middle school. I am a big Quizlet advocate. I can make flashcards, I don't have to write them all out, I don't have to keep up with them, and there's fun games to play to make studying more entertaining, and I can test myself.

Whenever I use Quizlet I typically put my device in Do Not Disturb so that I don't navigate away from the study time. I also try to avoid using the app on my phone, unless I don't have access to my computer. If I'm on my phone, I'm more likely to start working on my DuoLingo lessons than quizlet.....

Breaks

My biggest piece of advice for anyone, anywhere: Schedule breaks into your day! You need a minute to re-coop in-between subjects, and to take your eyes off of the computer screen. Try to do something productive, not something that is going to get you too out of work-mode or take too long. Do the dishes, fold your laundry, take a shower, respond to your 25 unread texts, or Facetime your mom. something that'll give you an academic break, but not end your study session.

Blue-Light Blocking

I have learned how harmful blue light is throughout college. It can mess up the natural melatonin production in your brain and even harm your eyes. My suggestion: invest in some blue light glasses. For a temporary fix, Apple laptops have a "NightMode" which turns the screen brightness to a warm tone instead of the usual blue light, and most computer systems have a tone adjustment setting where you can do this manually as well. This will also help you stay focused, making your computer literally easy on the eyes.

Here's some links to my favorite blue light glasses for under $15!

Accountable Study Groups

Let's admit it, we've all had that group "study session" where absolutely no school work got done. Those are fun, but around this time of year, we're wasting no time. Get together with friends from the same class, or friends that you know are going to keep you focused. Get out of the dorm room or the house and go somewhere that is going to encourage a productive work environment (i.e. the library, a classroom). Set timers for study time and chat time. Talk each other through the assignments. Test yourself using someone else's Quizlet or flashcards! Most importantly, bring snacks.

Rewards

If you're like me and you struggle with reading or completing numbered assignments, this is the tip for you. Most people are aware of this trick, but I figured I'd suggest it again just in case.

If you're reading a book, put a small candy (Skittles or M&M) or something else that you like on each paragraph. As you read, when you get to a new paragraph, you get your little reward.

You can even put little sticky notes with encouragements on them if that's more your style.

If you're on your laptop, reading or writing a paper, every time you finish a section, have your treat or take a sip of your coffee. Whatever you enjoy that you can use in a reward system.

Now what we're not going to do is use necessities for rewards. Water, meals, and sleep are not rewards. They are needs that must be met to keep our bodies healthy. If you're thirsty, drink, if you're hungry, eat, if it's time to go to bed, GO TO BED!!!

Avoid Naps, and Sleep Smarter

Lastly, do your best to avoid naps throughout the day. I know it's difficult when you have classes starting at 8am and then have to stay awake in the afternoon to do homework and study, but if you avoid these afternoon sleep sessions, you'll fall asleep faster at night and your sleep will be much better quality.

Also, I know it can be really tempting to stay up late to cross off assignments from your to-do list, but please don't. In order to function well in and out of the classroom, you need to be getting good sleep. Cut yourself off of work when it's time for bed. Get some good sleep. You literally need it to survive and make good grades.

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Well my friends, I now have to get back to my homework - classes don't wait for anyone! I hope you find some of these tips helpful and I am wishing the best for you all during the last leg of this semester! Finish strong! Summer's coming!

ttyl,

Carrie