Gabriel Glandorf

With the semester ending soon and finals quickly approaching, many students are under a massive amount of stress. There is much to accomplish in what seems like an impossibly short amount of time.

However, as troublesome as it may be, finals week can be efficiently conquered by using these simple tips:

1. DON’T FREAK OUT.

If you’ve been proactive in a class all semester, you’ve retained more than you realize. The final exam is not an impossible task.

2. Start early and don’t cram.

It’s impossible to review a semester’s worth of notes in an hour. Give yourself a few days to look at all of the material for a class.

3. Break up your study time.

Efficiently study for an hour at a time while giving yourself 10 or 15 minute breaks in between. Otherwise, you will lose this time anyways by distracting yourself.

4. De-stress yourself.

Go for a run or enjoy the weather in some other way. This will clear your mind and also help to lower your anxiety, which will in turn make it easier to study.

5. Concentrate on the important details.

If you’re low on time, look at the big ideas and attempt to make it through to the small ones.

6. SLEEP.

College students tend to forget this is important. It’s much easier to test when you’ve gotten six or more hours of sleep.

7. Make a list and hold yourself to it.

If you know what you’re supposed to study on what day, you’ll feel more organized and will be more likely to accomplish it.

8. Study in a group.

Items you didn’t understand on previous tests will be on the final, so having people around to answer your questions can be extremely helpful. Also, teaching other people is an extremely effective way to study.

9. Go someplace you can concentrate.

Attempting to study in someplace like the Student Union during lunch hour isn’t worth your time. Set yourself up in a relatively quiet place with few distractions, such as a study room in Bierce Library.

10. CELEBRATE.

Finals week can feel like a marathon. Do something fun once you’re done! As I am now finishing my sophomore year at The University of Akron, I know that finals week can seem like a looming terror.

I also know how easy it is to say, “It’s impossible to remember everything I’ve learned all semester; I’m just not even going to try!”

However, by following these steps, I have made my finals weeks less stressful and my studying more efficient. Although it may seem like a huge mountain to climb, finals week is an experience that can be conquered with the right tools.