The last couple weeks of a semester always feel bittersweet to me. On one hand, I’m closer to finishing my classes and then I’m rewarded with a nice long break to look forward to. On the other hand, I get closer to the week that I always dread, finals week. The thought of finals week always makes me nervous due to the long nights I stay up studying in order to be prepared to be tested on everything that I learned this semester. This is my 3rd year at NMT and after taking many finals I feel like I have developed a nice strategy to prepare myself for finals week. Below is a list of things some of the things I do to prepare:
- Hold study sessions with friends.
Studying with friends has always been on my list of ways to prepare. Not only is it an opportunity to spend some time with your friends but you have the opportunity to ask your friends questions about a problem that you’re stuck on. It’s always good to see what other methods are available to solve the problem other than your professors method. My friends and I like to watch youtube videos of someone working through a similar problem so we can get a different perspective.
- Meditate.
This year I have gotten really into meditation and doing yoga. By the end of the night after spending some hours studying I start to feel really stressed and burnt out. No matter how much studying I get done I sometimes feel like it’s not enough, which is something I feel like a lot of us can relate to. Meditation always helps me relieve some stress and clear up my mind.
Whether you decide that meditation could work for you or not, it’s always a good idea to take a step back and breathe when you’re feeling stressed out after a long day. You don’t want to push yourself to the point of exhaustion.
- Attend study sessions held by your professors
Perhaps one of the most helpful things you can do to prepare is to attend any review sessions held by your professors. These review sessions are a good way to go over any material that you may still be confused about.
Even if your professors aren’t holding any study sessions, there are other options. For example, NMT is holding a study extravaganza where you can easily reach out to a tutor to talk about a specific topic you need help on. This sounds like a good opportunity to get some extra studying in and I will definitely be taking advantage of it!
4. Don’t forget to take a break!
Perhaps one of the hardest things to do is learn how to take a break from studying. While you may feel tempted to keep going you should keep in mind that it’s ok to take a break when you need and to continue at a later time.
One of the best feelings in the world is when you finish your final and turn it in. You immediately feel a ton of weight being lifted off of your shoulders. These are just a couple things I keep in mind to prepare for finals week and I hope you were able to gain something valuable from this. Good luck to everyone during finals week and have a good winter break!
~Vanessa
New Mexico Tech Student Life 