BY: Savanna Pruitt
It’s time for finals, which means college students everywhere are studying like crazy and trying to cram in late-night review sessions. Even though relying on last-minute studying to pass your finals isn’t advised, there are a few things you can do to optimize your pre-finals cram sessions.
1. Set the mood in your space. It’s extremely important that you choose a place to study that’s organized and free of distractions. If you’re studying at home, take a few minutes to really straighten up your desk space and get rid of the clutter before you get down to studying. You may also want to play some white noise or ambient music to help you focus. If needed, ask your family members or roommates to give you some space and privacy so you can study without distractions.
If you’re choosing to study somewhere else other than at home, make sure you pick somewhere that’s organized and calm, like a library or a small coffee shop. Don’t forget to bring your headphones so you can block out outside noise and focus on the tasks at hand.
2. Put your phone away. Your phone is the ultimate distraction, so it’s a good idea to put it away while you’re studying for finals last minute. All it takes is one notification to send you into an hour-long scrolling session that both takes away your focus and wastes precious study time. If you really want to make sure you aren’t distracted by your phone, turn it completely off or set it on airplane mode while you’re studying.
3. Get plenty of sleep. It can be tempting to stay up at all hours of the night studying for finals, but it’s really important that you still get enough sleep during finals season. It’ll help you feel better in general, and it’ll help you focus when the time comes to actually take the finals. Instead of staying up all night studying, try waking up a bit earlier to study and taking several breaks from your normal day-to-day activities to get a little studying in.
4. Reward yourself. Let’s face it: Studying just isn’t fun. In order to keep yourself motivated during your last-minute study sessions, make sure you have some kind of reward system set up. This could be something as simple as treating yourself to a coffee after you’ve studied for an hour or something as complex as promising yourself a fun road trip with friends once finals are over.