A Guide to Finals Period

“Finals Period.” Honestly, these are the two scariest words for any college student. But do not fear! As a second-year student on my fourth finals period, having completed three in the past year, I think I’ve developed a strong system for surviving them. So here it is! 

Finals period is hard, and when it feels hectic and difficult, that’s okay. Feeling overwhelmed during this time of the term is totally reasonable. All you can really do is keep pushing and finish everything you need to. One of the best pieces of advice I’ve gotten is: “if you can’t get out of it, get through it.” Since most professors won’t just cancel finals because you ask them to, you will have to get through it, and trust me, you will get through it. With that being said though, how do you get through it? Let me tell you about how I’ve survived. 

I like to plan things out, and finish things mostly one at a time. What I have done in the past is tell myself: “Okay, Thursday morning, I will start this essay and complete a draft. Thursday afternoon, I will start studying for this exam, and I want to know what I need to study. Then Friday morning, I will finish up the essay I started on Thursday and continue studying for the exam. Friday afternoon, I’ll work on another essay or reflection.” That’s just one way to organize some things. Explicitly planning things out makes me feel more confident about everything being under control. Something I like to remind myself is this: “Leo, I know everything is very scary and overwhelming right now. You’ll be okay, I promise, you’ll feel better once you finish this essay/exam.” By saying this, I channel my anxiety and fear into motivation to finish things up. I also like to remind myself how amazing I will feel when all of this is done and how I will be free all break. 

Tackle things as you please, and remember to give yourself a pat on the back when you finish something or make good progress on something. Self-compassion and motivation can be quite useful during this time.

Also! Please take breaks. At some point, everyone will hit a wall of burnout, where you just don’t want to do anything anymore. Instead of staring blankly at your screen or scrolling through Instagram, stand up, and go for a walk! Whether it’s a short one or a long one, just return when you feel like you’re refreshed and ready to do some work. Don’t look at your phone on your breaks! That will make you not want to do work ever again, at least in my experience. 

These small intermittent breaks from homework and final exam study sessions are important, but so are larger breaks, such as seeing your friends! Designate and block out some hangout time with your friends where you do something fun. 

As for exams themselves, try to get enough sleep, whatever that looks like for you. For me, I’m a gigantic sleeper, so I need around 9 hours to even function normally. However, it’s different for everyone. The key here is to get a good nights rest two nights before the exam (Not the night before the exam, but the one before that). I swear there’s some research out there to support that statement. 

Try and do a little bit of studying over many days instead of cramming and doing it all the night before. However! As a procrastinator, I understand that sometimes you find yourself in a situation where you need to learn something really fast. A strategy that works for me is to memorize/look at whatever I need to the night before the exam, literally right before I go to bed. That way, I go to bed thinking about the content. Then first thing in the morning, I see if I remembered it and review whatever I need to. This way of speed memorizing has helped me a lot. 

Anyways, on the day of the exam itself, remember to eat breakfast. Even if you don’t usually eat breakfast, myself included, taking an exam on an empty stomach is pretty miserable, if you ask me. Make sure you’ve packed your bag the night before to prevent any last second scrambling and stress. Also, figure out where and when your exam is; this is VITAL. When you are taking the exam itself, be confident! You’re prepared as well as you can! You can do it! Studies do show that when you go into an exam more confident and in a better mood, you are much more likely to do better on it. So remember your hard work and understand you’ve done the best you could do up to that point. 

When you get stuck on a question on the exam, don’t dwell on it for too long, keep moving and get as much as you can down in as little words as possible. In other words, be concise, but give the information needed. Your pencil will flow with knowledge, and your heart will be boldened with confidence. When you’re done with the exam, regardless of how it feels, do something fun with friends! This will either be a fun celebration of a well taken exam or a good way to distract yourself from the horrors. 

Either way, exam period can be a very difficult time for people, so if you find yourself in a bit of a pit and are scared, I promise you it will be okay. Carleton professors understand this and they typically want you to succeed. They won’t fail you just to “fail you.” That’s the great thing about this school. 

Alright, that’s all I got right now. I’ve got to get working on some essays and exams myself. See ya! 

From,

LW 

Leo Wang (he/him/his) is a prospective Political Science (International Relations) and Geology Major from Newton, Massachusetts. You can typically find him in the Carleton College Climbing Gym, where he works as a staff member, setter, and class TA. When he’s not climbing, he typically plays one of his instruments: guitar, Violin, Viola, or Erhu (a traditional Chinese instrument). Speaking of the Erhu, Leo is also involved with Carleton’s Chinese Ensemble. There, he is a musician and also works in a staff role, transcribing scores. Another hobby of his is the outdoors. He loves running in the Arb and disconnecting from technology by going on long walks. Lastly, Leo loves being social. He can often be found waving to others from across the bald spot, talking to strangers at various events, and trashbagging with his friends down the Bell Field Hill. He’s always open to chatting and feel free to contact him for any questions about anything.