2018 Guide to Surviving Finals Week

We’ve all been there. Finals week is a brutal time to be a student. The worst part is that, as you progress through highschool or your undergraduate degree, the tests all seem to get tougher and closer together. Here at Class Act Graduation, we not only want to help you through finals week, we want to see you thrive in the rest of life as well. Like any Herculean task, finals week has a few tricks to defeating it.

Be Prepared

This is the best advice you’ll have in a lot of demanding situations. Walking into a board room? Be prepared. First interview? Be prepared. Two months in the wilderness? You get what I’m saying. With finals week coming up (or already here), this advice is paramount. When you spend an extra week or a few days to read over old notes, create flashcards, reread materials, ask teachers questions during their office hours, and set up study groups (if that’s your thing), that is where miracles happen. This little bit of time and effort can go a long, long way and be the difference between a C and an A. 

Take Care of Yourself

This is paramount. Your brain and body are the engines that will get you through all the extra hours of studying, the flash cards, the early mornings, and the late nights. Eat healthy foods that will give you sustained energy like leafy greens, healthy sources of protein and complex carbohydrates. You’re in it for the long haul. Don’t crash out now. In addition, make sure to workout, and see friends on occasion. Set timers, though, as seeing friends or working out can become a subconscious way to avoid studying. If you are really feeling the stress of this, and feel a little too raw about it, seek out your school’s resources for studying and stress management. Looking for a bit of help in stress management or mental health is healthy and normal. Plus, learning this type of self care will go a long way towards being able to perform at the high-paying, high-demanding jobs later in life.

Get Pumped

We know ourselves, and if you’re checking out this guide, you are probably looking for some motivation. We understand, and we couldn’t agree more. Motivation can come in a variety of ways, but all of it is personal. Whether that means that you are motivated to impress your parents, get into the right grad school, or to prove something to yourself, then by all means, focus on it. Use positive affirmation to get yourself motivated to study hard, prepare, and be there to succeed. In no-time, you’ll be in your graduation cap and gown beaming in pride.

Find a Study Place

When we remember what the dorms where like, the words: “contact distractions,” come to mind. There were video games, friends, sometimes love interests, and the fact that, for some, studying where you party can be tough. When you are looking to get the good grades rolling, find a quiet niche in the library, cafe, cafeteria, or elsewhere. If you don’t think there are adequately quiet places, reserve a room at your library or find a campus building that no one really uses, like the plant labs, and study there. If all else fails, make a quiet place with noise-cancelling headphones and a do not disturb sign.

Take it Easy

This is especially true between tests. When you are fried from one test and you need to take another in an hour or 20 minutes, but can only think about the material from the test you just took, it can lead to trouble. If you have time, try going for a 20-minute run. Experts have shown that this is an effective way to clear the mind. Then refresh your memory with some notes and head in there. Even before this, take breaks from studying to just think and do something to bring a bit of light back to your eyes. Take a walk, talk to friends, listen to some comedy. When you feel like you’re done with studying for the night, add 15 minutes to go back over what you just studied. Taking that little bit of time will make a big difference, especially before bed, in helping your mind integrate all the new information while you sleep and have dreams of thermodynamic organic chemistry, non-euclidian geometry, or any other subject you’re after.

If you follow these guidelines, we are pretty confident that you are going to kill it. You’ve gotten this far, and even if it feels uphill, good grades can certainly be done by anyone. With that said, we will see you at graduation. As you are soon to find out, graduation packages can be expensive if you go through the university. If you are wanting to avoid the markup and save some serious cash when graduation time comes along, Class Act Graduation has some terrific deals on graduation caps and gowns, 2018 tassels, and all the grad apparel you may need. Shop online with us today!