Finals week is a uniquely bizarre and terrifying experience—a test of resilience, pain, and effort. What job expects its employees to pull a week of all-nighters, encouraging them to do so by leaving buildings which normally close at midnight open all night? What family commitment requires multiple tests and essays to be completed within the same day? What other environment than college will ever surround us with 2,000 other people in exactly the same boat of academic-induced stress and misery as we are in?
I’ve been through this ritual several times now. It’s awful. But I have learned some coping mechanisms. I’m not about to give you a list of study techniques like mnemonics or color-coded flashcards. This isn’t a How To Study Guide, but rather a How To Stay Sane Guide. You all have figured out a few strategies to getting good grades and hopefully those are working for you, but I would like to offer suggestions that will help you maintain your mental capacities after hour upon hell-acious hour of trying to reword a sentence or scribbling down everything you know about cellular organelle function.
Although studying hard and learning all that you can is the best strategy for getting top marks, it is just as important to have the right state of mind as you go into your final exams and papers.
1. Give yourself “you” time. Take a moment to do whatever you want—so long as it isn’t studying. I suggest something not on the computer, like listening to music or calling your mom to discuss every fun thing you will do over winter break.
2. Do something silly! You may feel ridiculous, but it will get your mind off those things making you anxious. Sing show-tunes while skipping around your house or your dorm; dance to the new Nicki Minaj video; print out pictures of cute animals and put them around Olin; have a thumb war with your roomate; and if these are things you do on a regular basis, take it up a notch. If these suggestions sounds nauseating, try to distract people who you think are studying too hard.
3. Work out. This is my holy grail of de-stress sanity-inducing activities and was also suggested by most of my friends. Getting your heart rate up (at the very least) once a day can improve your mood, your looks, and your perspective on life; it truly does help you focus more, and also makes sleeping easier. If you don’t consider yourself someone who exercises, a) you should start, and b) at least go outside and walk around for half an hour in the brisk winter air (whenever it gets here).
Just get away from your books and your computer screen. Exercise something other than your eye muscles, your fingers, and your brain.
4. Spend meal times as actual meal times. Sometimes, you need to work during meal times just to get things done. Try not to. It is better to dedicate 20 to 30 minutes to a sit-down meal with or without friends and then return to work, rather than trying to eating a sandwich over your essay. If you do that, you’ll end up getting Wes Wings all over it anyway.
5. Give or receive a hug. Best. De-stressor. Ever. Especially if it’s a puppy, and usually a program house or two will host this as an event.
6. Turn off your computer before you go to sleep—and please, get lots and lots of sleep! For the love of Wes, don’t stay up late watching movies or playing video games, and try to get a minimum of six hours every night. In addition, studies show that it is harder to fall asleep after you have been staring at a computer screen. Studying in bed isn’t recommended anyway, but if you feel that you must, read your notes or textbook. Try not to watch something to fall asleep either; just allow your body to naturally arrive at nocturnal slumber (Weshop sells melatonin drops to help you fall asleep, and I can attest to their effectiveness).
7. Stick to a schedule. If you plan out your days not by the minute but by general guidelines for what you want to accomplish, you will feel less confused and lost, and it will help to guide your studies—and your brain—towards the road to success. Just don’t stress out if you happen to fall off schedule; get back on the horse, and use your general plan to help you continue studying.
If you are a procrastinator (not just someone who complains about procrastinating, but someone who struggles to make deadlines), start now, and get yourself into the zone. Just a few more days and all of this will be behind you.
8. Eat healthy food. Don’t just eat, but eat well. It really does affect you in the long run. Eat good protein (like fish, edamame, or beans, and stay away from red meat) for brain power, vegetables for vital nutrients, and enough calories to sustain you through the day.
Did you know that yogurt helps calm you down and that apples are great for waking up in the morning? And even if you don’t normally, eat breakfast during exam weak. Drink tea instead of coffee later in the day—and stay away from energy drinks and soda. To help improve your memory, eat blueberries!
9. Back up your work. Especially your essays. Common sense. Rarely utilized. Disastrous when ignored.
10. “Perspective” – Michelle Agresti ’14. This is applicable to any aspect of exam week. Try not to make mountains out of molehills.
Don’t treat this as an exceptional state of emergency. So many people start thinking that exams are extraordinary and determining moments: they aren’t. Have perspective on your studies, and don’t compare yourself to your friends. These are just exams, and they don’t determine your life. You determine how you are going to handle them.
Whatever happens, you will be fine. In the week leading up to finals, try to remember that your grades don’t determine the course of your life. And finals, even if they seem extremely important right now, are just grades.