By Staff Writer: Caitlin Daugherty
It has passed your mind at least a dozen times, “Geez, I want to drop out so badly” leading up to, during, and after finals. It can be extremely difficult to deal with the strain of finals, extracurriculars, clubs, and sports all at the same time. Many students push through the extreme mental strain to complete their finals and make it out alive, but it doesn’t have to be this horrible.
If you don’t have a schedule for your finals prepared make sure to contact your professors to know exactly when they will happen. Having a clear schedule laid out in front of you whether it be physical with planners, a calendar, or just a piece of paper on a bulletin board, or digital on apps such as Notion, Evernote, or even a Google or Word doc, you can have a grounded understanding of the final’s week at hand. Because we all know that sometimes professors will have their finals on the weirdest days at the most inconvenient times. It helps to know exactly what you’re dealing with. Knowing is half the battle after all.
Then after you have a comprehensive schedule, you can block out times to study. You need to have the where, when, how, and what’s mapped out in advance to eliminate as many steps as possible to getting to the work. Where will I study? The library. How will I study? Using the pomodoro method to study in increments and taking breaks when I need it. When will I study? I will study from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. What am I studying? Chemistry and Anatomy. These questions help you to outline your study sessions.
Finally, remember that no matter how you do on your finals, it doesn’t define you as a person. It can feel like the end of the world when you fail a final, or sometimes even get a B on a final, but it is crucial to your wellbeing to remember that grades are just a small part of the academic experience, and that dropping out is not the solution to failing a class.