Last week, I posted about the best places for a summer vacation. Now, it seems that was a bit of a preemptive, as many (read: all) students still have finals to go through. It only seems natural that I correct this egregious oversight and tell you how to prepare for finals.
1. Start early. Yes, college students are infamous for all-nighters but finals are no place to mess around. Remember, these exams or papers are often the make-or-break for a lot of classes. This means you need to take a judicious amount of time to prepare for each. Start organizing your notes and buying your highlighters early when you’re much less stressed —you’ll be glad you did.
2. Set aside time. Take a look at what you do on a daily basis. If you’re spending three hours in class, but five hours in your bed watching Hulu, you should reconsider how much time you spend in your room and how much time you should spend in the library.
3. If necessary, get help. Professors and TAs, contrary to popular belief, don’t want to see you fail. They’re there to help and would love nothing more than for you to go to their office hours and get help or just talk.
4. Sleep. Finals are made for you to think. In order to think properly, you need to sleep. This means more than three hours and a Red Bull—we’re talking at least eight hours.
5. Don’t panic. Don’t freak out when you get your test. Breathe, do all the questions you know, and then go back to the ones you didn’t. Easy stuff.
6. Proofread! This counts double for papers.
7. Relax. Even if your exam schedule doesn’t allow for as much as down time as you would like, take some time to just sit and breathe. Zone out the last final (it’s over and done with) and concentrate on the next one.
