Ready or not, final exams are upon us. Avoid sleepless nights and lack of focus by practicing the following tips!
Create a schedule –
Some classes have set times for their final exam to take place, but that is not always the case. Be sure to take a look through your school learning management system (Canvas for UWM students) to see when your exams open, projects are due and potential meeting times. After becoming aware of your responsibilities, you can schedule time for preparation!
Take care of yourself –
Finals week is often busy and overstressed. Your performance level is a direct response to your body’s everyday nourishment. Set aside time to eat full meals, take long baths and even chat with your loved ones. It may seem unnecessary while your mind is running wild but your well-being is just as important as your final grades.
Stop yourself –
Many of us do not stop until we finish… and while that is a blessing, it is also a curse. If you are on a roll in your focus mode, keep going! But if you are stuck and the clock keeps ticking, close the book or computer and wind down for the night. Try not to waste time that could be spent focusing on your sanity, staring at a screen while your brain feels like mush.
Sleep –
Prioritizing school, work, extracurriculars and social life is hard to begin with. Now, try doing that with a healthy and consistent sleep schedule. If your sleep schedule is completely unpredictable right now, do not worry, you still have time to create a better one before finals week hits! We have all dealt with trying to function in class after a late night of studying and it is not fun, nor easy. Remember how much better you feel and perform after a good night’s rest and take that into account during finals week.
Reward your efforts –
What you do is not easy. You are working tirelessly to have the career of your dreams. Remember you are not doing this because you have to but because you want to. After you finish studying for the day or night, wind down with your favorite book, Netflix show or even scroll through some funny Tiktoks. And after you complete an exam, take a nap or grab yourself a cup of coffee from Stone Creek!