For most students, finals is synonymous with extended periods of stress, lack of sleep, unadvisable amounts of Red Bull and quickly finding a god or deity to pray to. Is this on of the rites of passage of college? Sure, some may say so. But you can get through it with much less stress – and better grades! Just look at those well-balanced kids that ace their classes. Jessica was one of them; here are some of her secrets to successful and stress-free finals!
1. Hakuna-matata
It means no worries – for the rest of your days.
If you’re not into Lion King jive, it means relax. Take finals in stride. No stress.
Let’s take the worst-case scenario that you’re probably freaking out about: you bomb a final. I’m not condoning bombing a final here – but just one isn’t the end of the world. For example, Jessica failed a history final freshman year, but that’s all it was: one final. She continued to get a 4.0 next semester and graduates in under 3 years.
One bad grade is not going to ruin your college career, let alone your professional one. If you do your best studying, you shouldn’t bomb any in the first place – but my point is, it’s not even worth worrying about if you know you’re studying smart and doing well overall.
2. Plan and Time your studying
Like no one has told you this before. There’s 24 hours in a day, and you may have from 7-10 days to buckle down around finals time. That’s up to 240 hours – ok maybe a little less after you take out sleep. How many hours do you need to learn the material for each of your finals? Probably a lot less than that. Maybe 5-10 hours per course, on average?
You have plenty of time. So break it up and don’t study “24/7.” That simply overworks your brain and body. Plan out exactly what chapters/sections/concepts you need to master, and learn those. Plan each section of studying in 2 or 3 hours chunks and block it out on your calendar. What Jessica did was used a timer or alarm for each section of studying. When she would study, nothing else could be done until that alarm went off. And when she wasn’t in a study block, no school work was allowed – a happy balance.
Jessica also heeds the advice of Max Ehrmann, who wrote the Desiderata: “Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.”
Here’s how an MIT student mastered schedule planning: http://www.calnewport.com/blog/?p=275
3. Find your happy place.
Besides the bar. Maybe it’s a library, your room, a buddy’s room, the lobby, an empty classroom, lounge, coffee shop, etc. Your environment can make a big difference in how effective your studying is. Pick a place with fewer distractions if you need that, or a place with chit-chat in the background if you need that. Study tunes may help. Candles, snacks, the aroma of coffee, a window view — what environment do you need to be focused and productive?
4. Work these study tips.
Here’s a little more on how to study: http://www.speakingforchange.com/how-to-study
Whether it’s finals time for you or not, hope you can use these strategies to boost your grades, and reduce stress!
