How to: Survive Finals Week

Stressed, anxious and sleep deprived.

These are sure signs that finals week is quickly approaching. So stock up on coffee grounds, note cards and maybe a few late-night snacks and you’re on your way to starting off the famous “study grind.”

In the meantime, below are a few tips to help you survive finals week.

1. Regulate your schedule

While most students put aside all of their daily routines to study for finals, that’s not always the best option. In fact, changing your daily routine that includes exercise, set eating and sleeping times can upset your body and throw off your internal clock. This can cause irritability or worse, sickness that we know all too well. Instead, stick to your regular schedule while adding in an few extra hours of study time.

2. Eat healthy

Sure, it’s easy to say “it’s finals week” and not care about what we’re putting into our bodies, but the truth of the matter is, eating healthy will keep you moving at the right pace. While most of us would like to inhale sugar and caffeine to keep our bodies running, it actually causes the body to crash quicker – and we need all the extra hours we can get.

3. Don’t forget to sleep

All-nighters – we’ve all done them at some point during our college careers, but we’ve also all endured the side effects from them – and they’re not enjoyable to say the least. Instead, study in increments. If you study a little bit every day, the mind is more likely to retain the information. Think of it this way: If you sleep, you’ll remember what you’ve studied.

4. Relieve your stress

Whether it’s exercise, reading or a couple hours of Netflix, find a way to relieve your stress and give your mind a break from the overload of information. A tense body and mind will cause for a more difficult study session.

5. Start your studying in advance

Don’t wait until the last minute. While it’s easy to find excuses to delay studying, the university does give us two days off of class right at the end of the semester to get a head start. Use these days to your advantage.