By Maria Villa
Staff Writer
Finals are upon us and if you’re anything like me, you dread them. They are stressful, factor so highly in our overall grades, and they seem like formidable obstacles.
But don’t fret: you are not alone, and there are ways to prepare and relieve the stress of having to go through finals week. Before going further, think of this acronym: SR-SS-SM-SN. That stands for stress relief, study schedules, (avoiding) social media, and sleep and nutrition.
Stress Relief
The library is offering stress relief events through May 12 to help you escape from the tension. The events include coloring, puzzles, origami, pet therapy, ongoing scavenger hunt (finding Teddy the Toro) and more to get your mind off the pressure that you will be experiencing the next week or so.
Other ways that can help you prepare for finals are staying organized such as writing down in your planner or agenda assigned due dates and exam dates. Studying earlier is the best choice especially if you have more than two finals that you need to get through. The best advice is to get ahead by studying earlier which will make you feel well prepared for the exams and stress free.
Study Schedule
Creating a study schedule is your best choice since it will avoid you feeling overwhelmed. Study guides are the most important sources to ace exams and highlighting the most important information that will remind you to go back to spend more time studying prior the exam. Also, studying in groups for those classes you are struggling in could be beneficial because you may be with peers who understand the material better.
(Avoiding) Social Media
Of course, staying away from social media will be your number one option to prepare you better. Social media is the biggest distraction which leads you to procrastinate in your assignments. The Best choice is to deactivate your social media accounts temporarily to help you get ahead of the game.
Sleep and Nutrition
Prior to finals day make sure you get 6-8 hours of sleep which will help you be well rested. The day of, prep yourself with a good healthy brain breakfast such as egg omelet, cereal or yogurt with fruits. Drink lots of water so you can stay well hydrated.
Most importantly: Don’t panic, you got this. Take deep breaths. Yawn to get your blood circulating in your brain (seriously, many experts recommend this). Skip questions you don’t know the answer to then go back to the question that way you don’t forget the ones you do know. Make time to check your answers before turning in your exam. This will help you see if you answered it wrong, and you can always change it to the best choice one.
Good luck to all you Toros; hopefully these tips can help you ease some of that tension you might be experiencing now.
