Finals Season

Fellow college students, we know what time it is. That’s right, it’s unfortunately time for finals.

Experts argue that sleep is essential in good performance on exams, yet we all find ourselves studying through the night. It’s a week of all-nighters that hopefully result in positive exam results. We all know the exams are coming but inevitably wait until the end to try and prepare. Although the exam is on the whole semester, students try to learn the content within the last hours leading up to the test. Why then, does everyone do this? It seems to be two-fold. There are the students who have studied as hard as they can all semester and probably know the content, and then there are the slackers who wait until the last few minutes. The “good” students are most likely still staying up all night. This is usually because they have the idea that they have to cram again at the end to try and get the absolute highest grade they can. The ones that haven’t studied all semester are obviously doing it out of necessity.

I would recommend that those who have studied all semester to maintain a regular schedule. Just study a little more each day and get your eight hours of sleep. Sleep is very important to the mental process and will help you stay clear and think straight. If you haven’t studied at all this semester, I’m sure the 7-11 down the road has an ample supply of Monster energy drink. I go for shots of espresso but each to their own. I always wished I could study all semester and then just be ready at the end. And I probably am. The problem is, by the time finals come around I’m so stressed that I can’t bring myself to study without making distractions along the way. I probably only need to study the same amount as I usually do, but this takes four times as long when I can’t focus and keep worrying about the end of the semester. This is because I inevitably have a ton of work that is due in the last few weeks of class. I’m not as worried about the final as I am about getting everything done. It’s too late now, but the best advice is to simply stay on top of all assignments.

As I said, it’s too late to fix those problems. Here are some tips for final exam week:

• Do not try to study 12 hours in a row. It’s not going to work.
  • Instead, plan in study breaks.
• Write you studying schedule ahead of time.
  • Think about how much time studying for each exam will require.
  • Also, consider the important of each exam. Prioritize!
• Get Sleep
  • While some people, like me, can do fine on two hours of sleep, most can’t.
    • Also, it’s unhealthy when you don’t get enough sleep.
• While you’re procrastinating taking study breaks try exercising.
  • This can actually give you more energy.
  • As with any other break, don’t let it take too long. You don’t want your study break to become pointless procrastination.
• Study in groups
  • This does not mean finding your best friends and cracking a beer.
  • Find people that are interested in studying and have similar classes.
    • People from the specific class work well
• Make sure you plan ahead so that your employer (if you have one) knows that you cannot work as much.
  • If you don’t have a job, make sure that whatever normally occupies your time gets a smaller time allotment

Surviving College Life » Final Exam Survival Tips

De-motivational Video (Collegehumor all nighter ‘09 trailer)

http://www.collegehumor.com/videos/playlist:AllNighter09 for the new clips.