Surviving Your First Finals Week

Whether you’re that straight-A student everyone loves to hate or you’re barely scraping by at the best of times, you’re likely dreading finals week. Between the endless cramming and the enormous pressure of the actual exams, it’s enough to make anyone lose their mind! No worries, though. Focus FCU will walk you through this stressful time of year and help you survive finals week. Read up on our helpful study hacks, then get out there and make the grade with that perfect mark!

1. Create a master schedule — and stick to it!

Before you start studying for finals, create a master study schedule that includes every final and end-of-term paper you’ll need to complete before semester break. You can use an app like Exam Countdown to help you out, or make a paper version of your study calendar and hang it in a prominent place in your dorm room. Break down your studying into bite-sized pieces and start cramming for the hardest finals as early as possible. Having these stressful weeks planned out on paper will keep the panic out. Keep calm and study on!

2. Get rid of distractions

Nothing kills a great study session like a WhatsApp group that’s exploding with hilarious texts or the latest campus gossip. Don’t start cramming until you’ve shut off all of your social media apps and alerts. You can use an app, like Cold Turkey, to block selected sites and apps for just 15 minutes or even 24 hours if you need to get some serious studying done and concentrate on surviving finals week.

3. Use all your senses

Use as many senses as you can when you study to give yourself the best chances at remembering it all. Dab a bit of a specific perfume or cologne on your wrists each time you study a certain subject and wear the same scent to that exam to help you pull up all those facts. Set some information to your favorite tune and sing it aloud all day long. Draw a picture of a story that uses as many facts as possible. Use your imagination to commit those facts to memory!

4. Eat chocolate

According to a study conducted at Cornell University, chocolate enhances your brain power and helps improve your focus. Next time you feel your brain falling asleep, take a Snickers break! Don’t just survive your first finals week; conquer it!