How to Plan for Finals

Thanksgiving break is officially over and there are only a couple of weeks left in the semester. Some of us are graduating, others are working towards passing the semester, and a few are just figuring themselves out. While we are all on different paths, there is one thing we share in common—FINALS.

Finals week is the most important week of our college experience, so the weeks leading up to it are very crucial. We are drinking loads of caffeine, studying through the night, procrastinating, and going through various mood swings. It’s important to know when and how to best plan for finals. With our experience, we have put together five key things to remember when planning for finals.

1. Visualize what’s ahead

It is important to remember that having a hard copy of the syllabus throughout the semester is ideal—it will work more as a benefit during the end of the semester when you are planning your studying guide. Having a printed copy of the syllabus for each class will help you know the dates for your finals and create a plan for each one; you might try using an agenda, a calendar board, or a categorized list. Planning the week is important, especially when you are taking more than one class—you need to know what is expected and label them based on the level of difficulty to know which class needs high priority.

2. Find a Study Group

When it comes to taking finals, finding a group can be difficult, but it is not impossible. GroupMe is the new AOL for students, it is a platform where students ask when assignments are due, what happened during class, and where we may find someone who feels the same about the class as you do. Many college students tend to form groups within the class for various reasons, the main reason is to SURVIVE together. Stick with this crew, they are in it for the right reasons, they too want to pass their exams.

Joining study groups is important, say you missed a few lectures—this will definitely help you get caught up and personally discuss what occurred during those days you were absent. Study groups help keep the sanity and optimism when it comes to difficult topics. This strategy helps bring together many perspectives and thoughts about a topic and provide a better understanding to those that had trouble grasping the theory. Not only will study groups offer extra information, they will also create a space where practice problems are completed. Why not take advantage of the luxury of studying in groups?

3. Create a Study Space

Once you’ve prepared and joined study groups, know that there will be times where you may need to study alone. Being alone requires a disciplined routine—before we can accomplish this, creating a study space at home is very important. Whether you live in a loud and chaotic household or live in a single bed apartment, studying alone is dreadful. Be spontaneous when you are creating this space, decorate it if you have to! There are many DIY ideas on Pinterest that can help create the study environment we all desire.

4. Attend Office/Tutoring hours

Many times, we find ourselves forgetting the first part of the semester. Regardless of what course you’re taking, please take advantage of those office hours. Use it while you can, it is a great way to connect with the professor as well as maybe get a small review of every topic. During these hours, some professors like to provide extra bonuses to those that showed up and this could be with example questions that can be seen during the final exam, or a quick peek of the exam. Whatever the incentive is, attend these hours—they WILL be helpful!

5. Take Time for You

Finally, the most important part of planning for finals is to take time for yourself. Planning time to decompress is needed, especially when you’ve had a semester loaded with tedious courses. Thirty minute time periods to walk away from your study space is important, and staying sane is the way to make it through finals. Take this time to eat a healthy snack, lunch, dinner, go to the gym, meditate, watch your favorite show—do anything that does not involve school work.

When preparing for finals we often forget to take care of ourselves, taking 30 minutes a day to do anything you want goes a long way. If you’re open to studying for 40 minutes at a time and in between you give yourself 10 minutes, that is a great way to decompress and give your brain a break. We all need to remember to be kind to ourselves—we are the only thing we have at the end of the day. Take care of the body that carries you and the brain that provides all the movement and control.

Now, if you follow these five ideas, you may be on the right track of preventing procrastination and feeling a bit more prepared than before you read this blog. We do not guarantee anything, but based on our personal experiences it helped us; we are weeks away from graduation! We wish you all the best of luck during these last few weeks of this semester. You can do this!