Finals week does crazy things to people. Normal class schedules are abandoned, triggering a strange metaphysical shift in the collge life paradigm.  Normal priorities like partying, relaxing, sleeping and showering are thown out the window, with no regard to logic or common sense.  We curse our teachers, even though they warned us that we could avoid this pain and strife by actually studying sometime between August to December. 

Yes, freshmen, yes.  Finals week is, in fact, hell. Mid-terms might have been stealthy — those sneaky little buggers seem to come out of nowhere — but finals hit like a tidal wave.  So, here at SpartanEdge, we do what we can to make your experience a little more bearable. 

Schedule, schedule, schedule

You know that cute day planner you enthusiastically bought at SBS during book rush?  Yeah, it’s time to actually use it.  Put all your finals, last assignments, review sessions and work schedules on the calendar (color code if you’re feeling adventurous) and take a realistic look at the time you’re going to need for each exam.  Decide which ones need the most advance preparation and schedule that study time first.  Start early and schedule time to study every day before the exam.  If you have five exams, odds are that one is going to get the short end of the stick in terms of study time, so make sure it’s your easiest one.  

Set study goals

It is very easy to spend the majority of your time reviewing (and intensely focusing on), the easy stuff from the beginning of the semester.  Don’t be fooled by the false sense of preparedness you feel from re-reading chapter one for the third time. If you know you're the type of person who’ll peter or get bored by the time the challenging material resurfaces, set guidelines for exactly what you need to study and how long you should realistically spend.  If you are going to have to learn something very unfamiliar, know exactly what parts you need to know  and study around that, rather than trying to cram in every relevant piece of information that you don’t have the time or the brainpower to remember.  

Have all the appropriate materials

Collect and organize all the notes you need from around your room, the stuff from the days you missed and every old test or quiz you can find.  Analyze what works for you -- pick a study method and stick with it.  Vocab? Stock up on notecards. Behind in reading? Grab a notepad and write down the main points to remember (this method means the information will stick better than using highlighters). 

If your material’s not on ANGEL, STAY AWAY from the computer.  Clear your workspace of everything except exactly what you need for the subject. This also means knowing if a group study session is actually a good idea.  If it is something you can learn, practice or memorize on your own, a group setting could be a lot of time wasted.  However, if the concepts are difficult to understand and you need some outside input, group study can be a great tool — IF everyone is serious. 

Avoid the Cyber Café and maybe even your room

Argue all you want, but the first floor social club of the library is a horrible place to study.  Sure, it’s fun to people-watch and it's a quick step to grab double mint mocha, but you will get nothing done. Nothing.

The library is huge, so buy your snacks ahead of time so you have no excuse to take a field trip, find yourself a little isolated corner and set up shot there. Then, park it. Your apartment or dorm room can be equally as distracting, so find somewhere that would otherwise bore you to death, so the only thing you have to do is hit the books. 

Manage your stress in a safe way

Don’t be tempted to pop an illegally obtained Adderall when things get to be too much.  You have the power to make yourself focus and get things done.  Plan things ahead of time and don’t worry yourself sick.  A good strategy is to stick to a 50:10 study ratio.  For every 50 minutes you spend studying, take 10 minutes to relax, unwind and refocus. (Living in the dorms? Don’t forget to participate in the “Midnight Scream” for a little stress relief.) Remember, planning ahead should include a solid night’s sleep as well because being sleep-deprived and hopped up on caffeine will severly limit how much info your brain will actually be able to retain and recall once exam time arrives. Also, make sure to get up and eat a hearty, protein-filled breakfast before your exam. 
 
 
Stay up late

Ok, ok, we know that the brain doesn’t work well under typical finals week conditions but sometimes the near or full all-nighter is just going to happen. It’s a necessary evil, so live it up! The best place to go is the library since it is daytime 24/7. It helps to find somewhere that is a little bit chilly to keep you alert.

Stock up on caffeinated drinks, midnight snacks, and carefully planned outfits with cute sweatpants that are supposed to look like you aren’t trying too hard. Bite the bullet — finals week is just another part of the college experience.