How to Survive College Finals Week
Posted: September 16, 2021 | Author: Kierstin Pitcher-Holloway | Read Time: 3 minutes
With college finals week looming, it is time to study and prepare for all your tests and presentations. Here are tips and tricks to help aid your success during finals week.
College Finals Survival 101
Take Care of Your Body During Finals Week
Develop Healthy Sleep Habits
While you may need to pull the occasional all-nighter, overall you are much better served by getting a restful night's sleep. This may be difficult with long study sessions and Netflix breaks, but with eight hours of sleep each night, you will have an easier time retaining and recollecting information.
Feed Your Mind and Body
Your nutrition is vital to staying alert and determined in your courses. Eat healthy foods often to keep your mind fueled and attentive.
Activate the Mind with Exercise
Taking a half-hour run or walk increases both happiness and concentration. Try to exercise a minimum of thirty minutes a day leading up to and during finals week.
Learn How to Study Better for Finals
Start Studying for Finals Early
Students tend to cram, especially with so much to finish at the same time. Yet those last-minute study sessions do not usually pay off.
"Think of it in terms of a basketball team," said Dr. Jared Tippets, vice president for student affairs at Southern Utah University. "They don't wait until the night before the big game to begin preparing and then stay up all night practicing. So, why would you wait to start studying and then stay up all night cramming before a big test?"
Set Small Goals leading up to Finals Week
Create small goals that plug into the bigger picture. Set small milestones that are reachable, and then reward yourself once the goal is reached.
Create a Finals Study Schedule
Creating a study schedule helps you take responsibility for your education. In order to succeed at anything in life, you need to make decisions about your priorities, time, and resources. Schedule out your own study time and work toward your personal goals.
Discover Key Productivity Periods
Identify optimum times of the day and places where you concentrate best. Prioritize these times for the most difficult study challenges.
Take Breaks Throughout Finals
It’s important to take time to unwind. You may have your tests spread out or piled on one day, but remember to take a breather and forget school for a second. Take time every day to get your mind off exams. Your grades will thank you, and so will your roommates.
Use Finals Resources Offered by Your College
Improve your Learning Techniques
Your learning style is as individual as you are. If it’s proving difficult to understand the course material, try an alternate route to comprehension. The sooner you discover what learning techniques work for you, the sooner you will be able to master finals week. The Tutoring Center is an excellent resource for this.
Ask for Help
Consult with the professor, a tutor, your academic advisor, classmate or study group to gain a better understanding of the subjects you’ll be tested on during finals.
Utilize your College Library
It’s common knowledge that the library is a great study location, but college libraries offer multiple resources to help you get through finals week. The Gerald R. Sherratt Library at SUU offers research assistance Monday through Friday, individual consultations with subject specialty librarians, and during finals week therapy dogs can be located on the main level.
Visit the Health and Wellness Center
The SUU Health & Wellness Center promotes holistic health and well-being of students. The Center seeks to engage students by informing and connecting them to resources available on campus and in their community making it a great place to visit when stressed or overwhelmed during your college finals.
When is Finals Week at SUU?
Last, when preparing for final exams at SUU, remember that finals may not be held during scheduled course times. Find out when specific classes are scheduled to take their final exam during finals week.
Hopefully, these tips have helped you figure out how to survive college finals. Just remember that you’re not alone, college finals week is stressful for everyone. A little hard work and dedication goes a long way and before you know it, your finals week will be over.
This article was published more than 3 years ago and might contain outdated information or broken links. As a result, its accuracy cannot be guaranteed.
Tags: Student Blog Campus Resources
