Prepping for Finals
We come off of Thanksgiving break with our stomach’s happy as can be and our minds are now a bit more clear from the craziness of the Florence semester. There are two weeks left of classes to show professors what we can do. All of the hard work and dedication from this semester is finally paying off. Everyone should feel proud of themselves that we have all grinded through another semester. The finish line is in close sights!
As we come up on our final days of classes for the semester, the vibe on campus will begin to change because of the dreaded F word… Finals. They can either make or break all of your hard work throughout the semester. I don’t say that to scare you I personally had to learn the hard way my freshman year of college because I didn’t take it serious enough. That is why finals are on a whole different level than just your average exam.
From a seniors’ point of view I would like to share some personal pointers when prepping for finals so that you can have the best experience possible, especially if this is your first time getting ready for finals week.
- Try your best to stay healthy
This is a huge point that is very important for finals week because nothing is worse than being sick and having to go into class feeling terrible trying to take your exam. Drink lots of water, take vitamin C, wash your hands consistently and dress appropriately for the cold weather so that you can avoid the germs as much as possible!
- Find which way of studying best fits you
Everyone has their own way of studying. Some people prefer to go to the second level of the library and study quietly by themselves. This is a great way to steer clear of any distractions (food, Netflix, pets) you might have if you were back at your dorm/apartment. Others prefer the first floor with a group of friends to study with. Some people can study in the comfort of their dorm or apartment. Either of these atmosphere’s are great and I like to switch between all of them. Which best fits you?
- Reward yourself!
Finals week is definitely stressful so it’s important to take breaks in between studying. Some people prefer to pull an all-nighter and others don’t. Doing the simplest things in between studying can really make you feel more energized when you get back to it! What are some things that you do to reward yourself?
At the end of the day, finals are about doing your best. Remember we only have finals 8 times out of the 4 years that we are in college. Take those 4 years that go by faster than you can blink and learn as much as you can until you are out in the working world as an adult. Work hard, be proud in all that you have accomplished and you might actually end up liking the F word (finals).
-Katie Woodard
IMC Hawks Blog 
I love this blog post! This is especially helpful to Freshman who may not know what Finals week entails and how to prepare for it. As a junior, I have been through a couple Finals weeks, myself, and I still found this post to be a helpful reminder to stay on the grind for just a few more weeks! We can all get through this dreaded week together!
Katie,
I completely agree with all of your advice. I like that you’ve chosen to focus on the importance of self-care during finals, because often times that goes unnoticed. When it comes to finals, pacing yourself and staying healthy are crucial.
This is a very helpful article! I am a junior, so this is not my first rodeo with finals week, but even I could use a reminder about how to survive. Once you get absorbed in studying, it can be easy to overwork yourself and suffer a burnout. I appreciate the funny images you used too – they make the whole thing seem a little less intense.
I know it sounds silly but rewarding yourself is the best tip. I never see anyone say to reward yourself, it is constantly saying, let your mind take a break to meditate but seriously watch an episode of netflix and eat a burger after a long day it makes you so much more willing to start up again.
Katie,
I really enjoyed your post! I like how you took a more light-hearted and comical approach when this time can be one of the most stressful for students. I personally get very overwhelmed during this time of the semester and your three tips you gave will help me keep myself in check and get me through the last little bit of the semester! Good luck to you, and may the strongest survive! It is always rewarding at the end of the semester as you are driving, or flying, back home for the holidays knowing how much you accomplished. Kudos.
I haven’t really thought about finals being about doing YOUR OWN best. In my head, I had finals made up to be “make an A”or “meet the standards of 90 and above”. But those are not necessarily true, everyone’s best is not 90% and above. It is impossible to learn ALL material from ALL of your classes. Do the best YOU can to prepare and work hard at earning your grade.
This is awesome! I am always getting stressed out during finals week due to so much work! I am glad I have found a couple ways to help me get through it a little easier this year. Thanks!
Such a great topic for the upcoming couple of weeks. I tend to cram and get myself all out of wack when preparing for finals that I forget to take care of myself and drink enough water, eat healthy, etc. Its extremely important to make sure you’re getting enough sleep in order to keep focused and retain information.
I can easily say every college student could benefit from this article. These are simple things that people always forget. Staying healthy is SO important during finals week. There is nothing worse than being sick and coughing while trying to focus. I also like that you said you should reward yourself! If you are up all day and all night and work so hard then you deserve it.
Perfect timing to go in-depth over final exams. Finals are a stressful time for students and professors. Some students are very organized and in tune, while others are very cluttered and all over the place. Setting a plan for studying times is a must if you want to come out ahead. Getting enough sleep and consuming a balanced diet is something every student should strive for while heading into the week of finals. A healthy refreshed brain is a lot more adaptable than a tired unfocused one.
Perfect topic for right about now! I really enjoyed this article, I really liked how you mentioned being a senior and had a tone of talking to the freshman. I believe that is important especially with how this semester went with keeping them feeling included. I also like how this had a very BuzzFeed feel to it. I enjoy posts like that finals are a stressful time and even more stressful to start thinking about to a fun light article of advice is perfect!
Thank you for this post! Every semester around this time, I get super stressed out because things start to get way more serious with finals coming up, but these pointers are extremely helpful, especially if a freshman is reading this blog post. Rewarding yourself with study breaks is my number 1 when studying for finals. Personally, if I cram in an overnight study session, I blank the next day when it’s time for the exam because I’m so tired. So definitely make sure you are getting enough sleep during finals week!
I love this post! The use of popular gifs/memes really relates to this generation of college kids and captures the true essence of finals week. It’s also something that’s pretty trendy and very “in”. As a senior myself, it’s cool to see we all pretty much have the same mindset around this time of the school year.
This was a great article for me to read during this time! Coming back from Thanksgiving, it can be hard to get back into school mode, but it is the most important time to be focused. These tips were very refreshing and I will definitely be using them on the upcoming weeks. I was sick all of break so staying healthy is the most important tip to me right now. It is important during this time because taking a final while feeling awful is never a good thing.
Coming from a senior i find these tips very helpful as i know you are credible. I also agree that staying healthy is a very important factor as i have recently came down with a stomach bug, lol. This crazy Florence semester definitely yields us students as very worried about exams. making this article very relevant.
This was an awesome post! I could relate to many aspects of it, being a college student preparing for finals in the upcoming weeks. I appreciate how you made it a point to discuss health and how important it is to maintain your physical and mental health during finals. This is something that most college students over look and it is very important!
Katie,
I agree with all your points when it comes to finals week. I think it is very important to reward yourself after hours of studying. What I like to do is go to one of my favorite restaurants around town with some of my friends. It is definitely a huge stress reliever for me.
I really enjoyed this blog post! I found this very helpful since finals week is approaching. I tend to forget that it is important to stay healthy and reward myself. I never thought that it was important to reward yourself, but now that I think about it I can see that it would motivate me more and more. I do think that pacing yourself is important is as well, I just usually do not do that.
I think you really hit the nail on the head with this one, you present final exams as a phenomenon that is serious and really requires you to work hard and prove yourself, but also approach these strategies in a lighthearted way, and I firmly believe that you can be serious and work hard while still remaining positive and maintaining things like personal health and rewards for good periods of solid effort. Good advice!