The stereotype of finals week – the stress, the endless amounts of coffee, the sleepless nights spent in the library – is all true. Finals week will feel like both the longest and shortest week of your life as you try to cram a semester’s worth of content into your brain. However, while it is important to study long and hard, it is equally as important to get a good amount of sleep! Specifically, I know from experience that studying twelve hours straight for an exam does you no good if the next day you are so tired that your brain can no longer function.
Therefore, I have compiled a list of three final’s week tips that are essential to navigating this stressful time:
- Eat healthy → it is normal to not spend a lot of time cooking during this week, but try to order/get take out from places that will make you feel energized and healthy. This is known to increase your productivity.
- Try to get at least six to eight hours of sleep each night, ESPECIALLY the night before your exam. → at some point you need to recognize that feeling well rested from the night before will probably benefit you more than trying to cram information in last minute.
- Rotate study places → try to go to different places to study, do not just sit in your dorm room or library for hours on end. A different environment is known to help retain information and create better focus.
Overall, just know that final’s week is hard for everyone. Focus on doing your best and take care of both your mental and physical health!