Finals week advice from graduating senior
After spending an hour and a half on social media looking at everything from videos to “75 Things to Do Instead of Studying for Finals,” I realized I am not the only individual who has problems focusing on the task at hand and completing it fully.
As a college student for the last four and a half years, there are countless pieces of advice I could give any underclassman, but the reality is we all ignore the advice at some point. Most of us begin to stress about this time of the semester over finals, projects, and whether or not cramming and pulling an all-nighter is really worth the hassle.
The best advice I can give without being a hypocrite is to take one of two approaches. One, make sure all of your notes are in order and ready to be studied, and begin studying the finals in the order they occur. Focus on each one individually and go from your first to last final. Or, start with the biggest task and work your way to the smallest. This way the closer you get to the last task you’ll feel more accomplished. With either approach you still have to remember breaks in order to relax your brain, but spending almost two hours scanning your social media accounts for any funny video does not count, even if those bunnies jumping over each other is adorable.
When it actually comes to finals week, approach each final like a regular test in that class. This is a lot easier said than done, but if you enter the class with a mind set that it is just another test you are less likely to blank and stress during the exam. An hour before the exam, stop looking over your notes. If you still don’t understand the material, another hour will likely still not help. Use that hour to relax and maybe spend time with friends discussing topics not related to school.
Once finals have been handed in and you drive, fly, or walk home, remember to relax. Semester break is meant to spend time with family you haven’t seen in a few months, catch up with friends from back home, and simply let your body rejuvenate after a semester of college. There is normally no homework over this long break, unless you have a year-long class; and nothing beside your family or an at-home job to keep you from sleeping in every day.
When you return to CSC in January, you may be tempted to start complaining about your schedule, but you secretly love the experiences that college provides. The next few years, or months, which you have remaining at Chadron State will gradually begin to fly by.
For some of you reading this, I share a commonality with you, as we will receive our diplomas and move our tassels Dec. 18 for graduation. This monumental step into the next chapter of our lives is quickly approaching, and for myself, I am beginning to reflect on everything that my experience in college has taught me. From changing my major three times before being in college for two full years, meeting my best friends, realizing my true passion in life, and meeting my fiancé, Chadron State has guided me in becoming the best form of myself.
The best advice I can share from my experience is to simply enjoy, learn, and grow from everything CSC has to offer. You will have professors you do not agree with, friends who leave your side, and maybe even new opportunities you never imagined for yourself. Those experiences are needed in order to grow and the small, family-oriented lifestyle this campus offers its students is a perfect place to achieve just that.
Countdown the days, or years, until graduation, but don’t forget to enjoy everything between then and now, and maybe even do all the items on that list of “75 Things to Do Instead of Studying for Finals.”