By Lauren DiCioccio
Before I came to college, everyone warned me about how hard it would be. Keeping up with the workload, living on my own without my parents, balancing physical and mental health and friendships is hard.
The hardest part though, last week and the next two to come. Finals week, or what I have begun to call it, staying up until 2 am studying and barely seeing my friends week. It has definitely taken a toll on my mental and physical well-being.
Trying to study has made me feel like I don’t know the material, and I’m just so tired. Not even mentioning the fact that on top of that we still have to go to class every day. It’s a lot, and for all the freshmen like myself, we’ve never experienced anything like this.
Even though it’s my first finals week in college, there are so many things I’ve found that will help me and everyone else get through it. So what’s the best way to survive the next few weeks of school?
Find things you like to do and that make you happy. I’m always so excited to get into bed after a long day of studying and just do what I enjoy doing. Writing is a big one for me, putting pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard really helps my brain relax. Listening to music, watching my favorite shows, or just scrolling on social media. Just find that one thing that puts you into complete and total tranquility.
Another big piece of advice is to get enough sleep. It may seem like you need to stay up all night before the test and just look over the material. But trust me, that is the last thing you should do. Sleep improves concentration, alertness, and overall mood. It will disadvantage you more to be cranky and sleepy during your test.
Eating is also super important. I know we’re all guilty of being so busy we just forget to eat sometimes. Since this is the busiest week of our lives, it’s really hard to remember to fuel our bodies when we have so much else to do. According to healthline, the top 9 foods to eat before a test are, berries, citrus fruit, dark chocolate, nuts, eggs, avocados, fish, beets, and red, green, or orange vegetables. All these foods help improve memory, focus, and overall health.
The last piece of advice I have is something one of my high school teachers told me. I was cramming for a test because I procrastinate, as always, and I went into her room all stressed and told her that I was planning on studying the rest of the day and into the night. She told me that was the worst thing I could do. If we try to cram all that information into our heads at once, it would just be a waste because we wouldn’t comprehend nearly enough.
She told me to study from the end of the school day to dinner time, taking breaks when necessary, and to make sure to listen to my body. If I felt like I couldn’t look at the page anymore, to just put it away. I’ve taken that advice with me to college. If you’ve been studying all day, put it away, don’t overdo it.
I know how much we’re all looking forward to winter break, sleeping in, seeing our friends, family, dogs, the holidays, and everything else we love at home. All we need to do is get through the next week and a half. I know from right now, it seems impossible, like there’s no way this week will ever end. There is a light at the end of this narrow, dark, suffocating tunnel we call finals week. Good luck everyone, breathe, eat, sleep, and take time to yourself, we got this!