The ultimate guide for surviving finals week at UO
Take full advantage of Call Me a Duck pizza contests
Finals are upon us, and students are stressed making sure that they get the last of the fall term wrapped up. Along with the stress of finals also comes getting ready to go home or on vacation during winter break, and sometimes packing is just a stressful as studying for that class you haven’t even opened the textbook for.
With all the things to get done in so little time, here’s a list of how to make your life a little less worrisome during finals week:
Check The Dash
Did you remember to drain your refrigerator?
For students living on campus, the university housing dashboard (The Dash) is your best friend. Not only does it tell you the amount of meal points you need to spend before you leave, but it also gives you a checklist of things you need to do before leaving. These reminders will also help you avoid fines later on.
Spend all your meal points
You never know when the emergency deodorant might come in handy next term
Meal points are included for all students who live in the dorms and while you can rollover unused points from previous weeks, many people don’t realize that they don’t roll over to the next term. We all know that one person who waits until the last day of finals to spend their points, the one who has 50 rollover while still with a week’s balance of 40. Hamilton’s Grab N Go market has a variety of items so you can stock up on snacks for next term, or just buy that extra toothbrush for that emergency sleepover. However, if you have a lot of points to begin with start spending them earlier rather than later, as many of the popular snacks sell out quickly during finals week.
Coffee
Let’s be real, places like Starbucks and Expresso Roma keep you going while you’re up late studying for your Econ final the next day
Because what college kid doesn’t need a good fuel injection once in a while? Find your favorite coffee shop and stake out your study spot, this will become your go-to when you’re stressed for you 8:00 am final that next morning.
Find your favorite study space and stick with it
All hail Lillis and its cafe
When studying at home just doesn’t do it, campus a medley of great places for you to camp out and crank out your essays and study guides. Finding a good study environment also helps, and when you find the place that gives you your best mojo, you can produce better quality work.
Call Me a Duck pizza contest
Pick me, pick me!
The university knows students get tired while having those late night study sessions, so who wouldn’t want some free food? UO’s student life program, Call Me a Duck holds a Snapchat contest every night during finals week where the first students to Snap them their study location have an opportunity to win free pizza. Good luck!
Sleep
Dreaming of an A
While it sounds cliche, make sure to rest up before your tests. Even if it’s just a paper, studies show that sleep can give the body time to heal and improve memory recall. Sweet dreams!
24 hour quiet hours
What did you say? I can’t tell it’s quiet hours
Another thing for those living on campus to keep in mind, 24 ‘quiet hours’ are enforced starting end of week 10 through end of finals, meaning no loud noises may be heard at least 2 rooms down to let people concentrate while studying and sleeping. For those who study better with music, just use earbuds – it’s better to keep it to yourself than pay a fine.
Pump yourself up
‘Don’t worry about a thing, because every little thing is going to be alright’
It’s important to remember how far you’ve come through this term, and reminding yourself of that before your final can help ease your nerves.
Packing and cleaning your room
Peace out
As mentioned above, the Dash will give you specific instructions as to what condition to leave your room in when you leave for break. It’s a good idea to clean and pack ahead of a day or so ahead of your departure day to avoid late night stress. Heck, even if you have do laundry at 1 am make sure you have everything ready to go. Knowing what and what not to do can help ease your stress while studying.
Light at the end of the tunnel
I see the light… it’s finally break!
You did it, you made it to the end! Thinking about this rewarding feeling of finally finishing up is a motivator in itself to get through finals week, and gives you something to look forward to.
Good luck on your finals, Ducks! Study hard but be good to you, it’s a hard week but not impossible. Just doing small things can help ease your stress load throughout the week, and will make your life easier. You got this!