Tufts Blogs

Sitting in my bed, preparing for my first finals week at college, I’m struck by how fast the semester has gone by and how much I’ve learned.  I’ve been exposed to the massive music scene at Tufts by being in an a cappella group, I’ve made some amazing friends, and I happily struggled through my first snowfall.  Looking back at this semester I can’t believe how much fun I’ve had in the last couple months.  

But, since it’s also finals week, I wanted to remind myself to stay focused and determined.  As someone who is notorious for stressing out about tests and big deadlines, I made myself a list of things to do to keep myself cool and collected during finals week, and I thought I’d share it with you!

1.  Work in chunks
Regardless of how much you have to do, it’s always a good idea to work in intervals.  Looking at the same textbook for prolonged periods of time can tend to let less information in than the desired result.  I know from experience that staying in the library all day is not conducive to my learning.  After a while my eyes glaze over and this is basically my train of thought:

2.  Take a break
BREAKS ARE SO UNDERRATED!!  Personally, I never thought breaks did much, but now I am a firm believer.  You can take a quick power nap, dance around for 10 minutes, watch an episode of a show…the options are endless!!  The point is to do something to get your mind off of studying so your brain has some time to reset.

3.  See your friends!
This is a bit similar to #2, but I think they both serve different purposes.  For me, seeing my friends while I’m studying always helps to pump me up and it reinvigorates me.  It reminds me that I’m not the only person working this hard, my friends know how I’m feeling.  It also feels fantastic to laugh with other people after you’ve been immersed in nothing but books and flashcards.