Finals week is on its way. With so many assignments and tests to finish, and seemingly so little time, it can feel like it is hard to stay on top of all of it. That is why I put some practical tips together to help you survive finals week. 

Stay Organized

The first thing you need to survive finals week is organization. If you do not know what assignments or tests are coming up, it is hard to prepare and study all of the things you need to know. To help you stay organized, you can create a to-do list of all of your upcoming work and their due dates, fill out a calendar or planner with all of the times of your finals sections, and budget specific time for both studying and breaks into your schedule.

If you need some help organizing your time, check out this website with free, printable planners and schedules!

Attend Class and Pay Attention

It can be tempting to skip class at this point in the semester, but skipping can sometimes do more harm than good. Skipping class may lead to missing important information for tests or final projects. Missing this information makes it harder to catch up on work, and even adds extra stress to your already stressful schedule. If you stay in class, your life will likely be much easier when finals come around.

Also, make sure you attend the review session during the class period before your test. Many professors organize these days as a way of ensuring everyone has some grasp of the information, so make sure you are there and ready to review!

Find Study Methods That Work Best for You

The best way to prepare for a test is by incremental studying, not cramming the night before. Studying in advance is one of the most important things to do as you are getting ready for finals. Memorizing information the night before might be an enticing option if you have a busy schedule, but I promise it is worth it to plan out your studying and find methods that work best for you. Check out this YouTube playlist by CrashCourse for some more study tip ideas!

To find what works best for you, you can try different methods until you find the one that helps you learn the most. Things like flashcards, practice tests, notes review, or even asking a friend to quiz you can all be helpful ways to learn and recall information.

Find a Good Place to Study

Another key to studying well is knowing which studying environment is best for you. North Central has many great studying spaces on campus that you can utilize. Here is a list of the top places to go and study:

• Your dorm
• The library
• Carlson lobby
• The atrium
• Study rooms
• The mail room (open 24/7)
• Clay Commons (open until 3am)

You also have to pay attention to how you work in proximity to other people. If you start noticing that friends are distracting you, you might want to switch it up and study on your own. Or, conversely, if you find that you get easily distracted when studying by yourself, working with a friend might help you to stay accountable and focused. 

Figuring out where to study is all about knowing yourself and what helps you to succeed.

Take Care of Yourself and Your Mental Health

Even though studying and preparing for finals week is important, it is also crucial that you still take care of yourself and your mental health. Make sure to take time and rest from all of your hard work. Without rest, it will become much harder to function and study well. One idea to help propel you through is rewarding yourself with a treat or a life-giving activity after you have finished all of your homework for the day or completed a test!

Your mental health is incredibly important. North Central has great resources for counseling on campus. You can sign up for both group and individual sessions with licensed counselors to meet and check in with to make sure you are prioritizing your mental health in addition to your studies. There is a waitlist for counseling as of now because slots have been filled for the rest of the year, but you can always feel free to reach out to our counselors to see how to join the waiting list and see what other resources they may have available!

Finals week is a tough time for everyone. Hopefully, these tips will help you to be prepared, less stressed, and set up for success when finals finally come around in December!