The tide has rolled out, spring break has ended and finals are less than three weeks away.
The painful week of exams will come faster than you anticipate. It’s usually important for students with borderline grades – or those looking to pass the class.
Sadly, teachers are still teaching new material. More than likely, this information will have a higher concentration on your final than anticipated, so start paying attention if you haven’t already.
With three weeks of class left until finals week, there’s still time to talk to professors and teaching assistants, start study groups and find that syllabus you stashed somewhere. Some professors also provide extra-credit assignments accepted at the end of the semester, so listen, read and ask around.
Apart from complaining to your friends about fatigue, the easiest thing to do during finals week is to figure out what will be on the test – yet many students forget to do so.
 
Knowing what will be on the exam is half the battle.
Another thing students forget before finals week is to be rational. Don’t anticipate earning a grade you aren’t capable of receiving.
In other words, don’t expect a 100 on a final if you haven’t earned higher than a 70 on the previous exams.
With that being said, never calculate the curve a professor could give while determining the score you need for the final. When you don’t add in the curves you could potentially receive, your grades will boost when they’re posted.
Or there may not be a curve, and you end up suffering.
Shockingly, not everyone knows that studying isn’t confined to silence in the library. Studying exists anywhere you can retain the information and interpret it for the exam.
Be open to different study methods. Going over material in groups tends to prove effective and motivates others at the same time, but remember to also study individually – which isn’t the same as reading over the material in bed.
The only time studying on your bed is acceptable is when you have substantial time before the exam or if you’re trying to cure insomnia.
Don’t stress yourself out during the time before finals, study at a pace and remember to take breaks. Breaks should be nothing longer than the actual study session, but ensure enough time to refresh your mind, grab a snack and watch the latest Lil Finals Week video on YouTube.
But if you do happen to stress out, avoid excessive food binging and wild energy drinks. Energy drinks may help you stay awake to study, but if you crash during the final, all your time and effort will be wasted.
At the end of the day, students fail to realize that finals week doesn’t have to be stressful. Many of your colleagues do well on their exams without pulling all-nighters and living in Middleton.
Take this reminder seriously and start reviewing now, before dead and finals week start.
By now you should know your own studying habits and abilities. Apply them accordingly and with rational thought.
And if you don’t enjoy the stress of finals and dead week, don’t put yourself in a situation where your final exam determines so much of your future in that course.
 
Marie-Therese Yokum is a 19-year-old mass communication and finance sophomore from Lafayette. Follow her on Twitter @TDR_myokum.
 
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Contact Marie-Therese Yokum at [email protected]