Pshhh Finals Week? No problem

One minute you’re stuffing your face with with turkey, sweet potatoes, and all matter of carbohydrate then suddenly you’re being crushed beneath an ever growing mound of projects and exams.

The transition from a relaxing Thanksgiving break to the cram session that is Finals Week is certainly not an easy one. Whether it is Organic Chemistry or Accounting that’s been weighing you down, here are some tips to help lighten the load.

Organize

When you have a million different things floating over your head the task seems immense and overwhelming. This causes you to procrastinate, which leads to you crying into an empty pint of Graeter’s at three in the morning. So this is actually more “pre-studying” but it all starts here. It can be easy to throw notes and quizzes into your backpack and forget about them.

If you put everything in one place you’ll be much more efficient with your time. Then make a “To-Do List.” Its a basic concept which puts everything in one place and you can feel all accomplished when you get to cross it off (its the little things). I’ve always been a big proponent of the free Ohio State planner that’s given out at the Involvement Fair for two reasons. Firstly, without it I’d probably forget I had any homework and fail all of my classes. Secondly, its free.

But, now that finals are here, I’ve found the little calendar that’s wedged between months to be crucial. When you can visually map out when all your finals are it helps you budget your time and they appear more concrete than just numbers on a syllabus.

Work smart

I’ve found the difference between getting okay grades and getting good grades is not how much work you do but simply how you do it. I know a lot of people don’t know how to study so they just fill their time sitting with notes in front of them and hoping for the best. The fact of the matter is, what may have worked for you in high school doesn’t work with the thicker college material.

Now I can’t say for sure, but most likely simply rewriting your notes from class over and over isn’t really going to help. Quiz yourself with notecards or make your own study guide without relying on your notes. Once you figure out which topics you understand and which you don’t, it will be easier to focus your energy where you’re weakest.

Focus

Some people need to find a cozy chair in the Buckeye Reading Room while others are content to sit in the middle of the Union. No matter your preferred study nook make sure you find and utilize whatever is best for you. This is vital because if you spend two hours reading but are too distracted by the freshman girl in the corner who keeps jabbering on about how she can’t wait for recruitment to start after break, then those two hours are a waste and you’ll end up spending four hours on one chapter.

Also during Finals Week, don’t feel like you’re confined to your usual study spot or have to sit awkwardly close to someone because Thompson is overflowing. Hagerty’s windows sills are a great hideout for those like me who hate using desks and the Fine Arts Library in the basement of the Wexner seems to be hiding from most of the student body which makes it a calm environment for those who like more structure.

Log off Netflix

It will probably be painful but its for the best. Once you start a new season or show it will be all you can think about and before you know it you’ll be halfway through the season and running ten minutes late to your next final. On December 18th (I thoroughly resent anyone who gets to start winter break before this by the way), log back on, wear the same pajamas for three days straight, and Netflix as hard as you can.

But before then, time is a little too scarce to be spending it so nonchalantly. Then, when it is the night before your calculus final and you actually get to go to bed at a halfway decent hour you’ll be thanking yourself you didn’t throw your time away earlier in the week.

Get moving

Sitting in a chair all day reading from a computer will melt your brain. After a few hours you may still be reading the PowerPoint but that doesn’t mean you’re retaining anything. All of us are very fortunate Ohio State has one of the best (let’s be honest it IS the best) student recreation centers in the country. With four floors of equipment there is bound to be something which will spark your interest. *Recreational Sports will release a schedule for finals week so make sure your favorite group fitness class is at its normal time before trekking through the winter cold.

Party less

I know some of you probably thinking I’m crazy for saying this but just hear me out. You probably don’t need to go out on Friday AND Saturday so why not pick just one. Once you drown out the loud, drunk chatter from streets, it won’t be that bad. That way when Wednesday rolls around and you have two papers and a final due within a 24 hours, all you’ll have to do is finish up your concluding paragraph.

Don’t get me wrong; college is all about the memories. Most of which, will not be made sitting in a classroom. But, one night of stumbling the streets is worth sacrificing for a relaxing week and Scantron you feel confident about. Luckily for those over the age of 21 the last day is a Thursday, which just so happens to be Schooner Night at Chumbly’s. So you can reward yourself for learning an entire semester of material in a week and then promptly forget it all.

Have fun

I said pick one not none. Finals Week is stressful and tiring, (it makes absolutely no sense but sitting at a desk and looking at a computer all day is exhausting) so make sure to let loose a bit. If you don’t, then you’ll wear yourself out before your last exam. So catch a movie at Gateway or check out Zoo Lights at the Columbus Zoo.

Now I can’t promise you (and you shouldn’t expect) your Finals Week will be stress-free but as long as what was once daunting now seems manageable, I have faith you’ll do just fine.