Summer is almost here!! But first we need to talk finals. *Cue tears*. Sure this may be the single week of the semester that could potentially send you into multiple mental breakdowns, but you can rock it. My Test Day Guide was one of my most popular posts last year and so I decided I would make a guide to ~slaying~ finals like the dragons they are. So if you are at all curious how I’ve never failed a final exam while also remaining calm, collected, and prepared all week long, keep reading!
Schedule Your Life.
Okay, so this may seem a little bit over the top for most people, but I promise this alleviates some of the normalized stress that I would otherwise drown in. I schedule my sleep, studying, meals, and free time. It helps that I have a Day Designer, so I can legitimately schedule things to the hour. Here’s what a typical day will look like [I’m basically in finals study mode now, so just delete classes and add in more time for sleep and working out and you’ve got a typical finals day.]
I like to spend about 50% of the day on studying. I think that’s reasonable and leaves time for me to relax and watch Netflix or cook a tasty meal. In case you didn’t want to do the math, that’s about 12 hours of studying. This leaves about 8 hours for sleeping and 4 hours for miscellaneous nonsense. LOL.
Take Breaks.
Yes, it is 100% necessary to do something close to being fun at multiple points throughout the week. It can be as simple as face masks and old Disney movie with your roommates on a reading day or a Zumba class followed by lunch with a classmate to discuss non-class things #friendship.
Make your study materials fun.
No one, I literally mean no one, wants to look at boring and bleak practice problems and note cards. It’s generic and will probably have you falling asleep at noon. I love love love having all of my study materials in color. My favorite pens are these bad boys and I have them in a range of colors *spoiler alert: this is like my 3rd pack*. I write out my biochemistry mechanisms and summarize my class notes on printer paper in complementary color combinations. Fun Fact: color is good for memory.
I picked this study habit up my first semester in college and I have never gone back. This also a good way to make sure that you get through all the material. For the final, I go through my summarized notes and condense them into a new set of notes to make sure I’m hitting the main points!
Cook something healthy ~yet~ tasty.
One of my favorite things to do since moving off campus is cooking. It is so calming and grocery shopping makes me feel less of a child. It’s finals week, so it’s going to be super important that you get your protein and a balanced diet. Your brain is going to need all the glucose it can get to power through these exams.
I did a post a while back about healthy recipes to try from Pinterest! I’ll be doing Round Two of this soon; so be on the lookout. I’ve recently gotten in to pita and ridiculous amounts of fresh fruit. My two recommendations for finals are the burrito bowls and yogurt parfaits. If you are in a hurry and you need to run, the yogurt parfaits are perfect because you can make them up to three days in advance, grab a spoon, and enjoy on the go. Personal fav.
Treat Yo’ Self at The End.
You’ve made it through to the end and it’s time to pack up your textbooks and temporarily forget that it all starts over again in a couple of weeks. To make this part of your week even sweeter than it already will be, I recommend setting a goal or making a promise to yourself at the beginning of the week for a way to treat yourself at the end of the week.
That could look like anything from splurging on some tasty Ben & Jerry’s while jamming to Beyoncé. You can also pledge to buy yourself something new form your favorite online site. I have my eyes on this sweatshirt from Etsy!
