Grace Diviny, Staff Writer
We are upon every college student’s worst nightmare: Finals Week. The week we all dread from
the constant studying, our temporary break up with sleep, and the never-ending dread of possibly
failing. But it does not have to be all doom and gloom! There are plenty of ways to prepare and
be relaxed in time for finals week without feeling like a nervous wreck, and I, Grace Diviny, am
here to guide you through my Finals Week hacks that will hopefully help quell your worries
about the upcoming week, both mentally AND academically!
- Meditation. Zen Is Key.
I know I will hear boos from the crowd…but you came here for tips, did you not? Then quit
complaining and hear me out! Meditation is something that I have been doing since I was in
middle school, finding it a perfect way to deregulate my anxiety and overwhelming emotions
when it came to important tests, projects, or presentations I had come up that week. For me, I
find putting on a 10-to-15-minute guided meditation on YouTube to be the most helpful,
especially the aesthetic zen-like girlies who seem like they have it all figured out. But don’t try to
dwell on it as much as I do. We’re here to prepare, not break down after all! - Download Notion, It Helps You Keep Track.
Notion is an all-in-one organization app that allows you to organize and keep track of things that
you need to get done. And if you are a Type B person, I fear Notion is your only hope for you if
it is likely that by next week, you will realize in the middle of 3 PM that you had an Econ final
that you forgot about while it is taking place. You never want to be that person, which is why
Notion is perfect to use for making your own customizable dashboards, where you can especially
add a calendar to help keep track of when exams are and what you need to get done by then. - Do NOT Study into the Morning of Your Exam
I know, it seems super tempting, and I would not blame you for doing that at all. But you are
asking for a death wish by doing this, ESPECIALLY if you’re cramming it all in one night
because you put off studying until the last minute. According to Harvard Medical School, an
individual’s lack of sleep can affect the brain’s ability to retain information and memories about
how to do various tasks. Which is why it is important to not only study in advance, but to take
breaks while studying! The Pomodoro Method is especially helpful, in which you can take up to
a 15-to-20-minute study break before going back to studying. That way, studying feels less like a
chore and more as though you are doing something productive! - Treat YouTube Like Your Best Friend
If you are a science or math major, YouTube is going to be your best buddy. When it came to
finals week last semester, I was taking a math class where I was absolutely lost, and my only “friends” were none other than Khan Academy and the Organic Chemistry Tutor. If it were not for them, I am not so sure how my GPA would have fared in terms of my final grades, but they saved me immensely in terms of retaining the information I had to re-learn by finals week. YouTube also has the perfect ‘study with me’ videos that can make it feel as though you have a friend studying with you. They even have Pomodoro Timers that I had mentioned earlier, so take advantage of the resources on YouTube. - (Try to) Avoid Burnout!
It is inevitable that no matter what your major is, whether it would be Biochemistry or
Communications, you will face severe burnout. And when that happens, the number one thing
that is important is to do self-care! Whether it is meditating like I stated above or even just taking
a simple nap, the smallest things to take care of you are important to your well-being and
performance during finals week! Reaching out for others for support is also vital, whether it
would be your parents, friends, or even going to the counseling center. Talking to someone can
help make you feel less stressed out and alone during these rough weeks. - Try to also eat well, get enough sleep as you can, and not put too much stress on yourself to be
perfect. You are still human at the end of the day, and I know you can get through finals week!
Good luck Red Dragons!
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