5 tips to avoid taking an "L" on your finals this semester

It's final exam time for college students everywhere. If you are like me and don't have any actual final exams and instead have projects, you are truly blessed. Trying to study for 2-7 exams can be a nightmare, but I'm here to give you some tips from my own experiences.

1.) AVOID USING ENERGY SUPPLEMENTS OR PRESCRIPTION DRUGS THAT HELP YOU FOCUS. We already know coffee, caffeine and energy drinks are no good for your body but many times college students turn to ADHD medications like Adderall or Vyvanse to stay up late at night and study for exams. These drugs may make you focus a little bit more, but if you do not have ADHD, they potentially can be very harmful, just like any other drug you're not prescribed can. Instead eat healthy, drink tea or water, and participate in some type of physical activity even if it for 10 minutes. These activities will keep you naturally energized instead of using unnatural energy.

2.) ORGANIZE ORGANIZE ORGANIZE. If I wasn't organized, I would be so lost. My daily planner is my best friend. At the beginning of the semester I usually look through all of my syllabi and record in my planner, all projects, assignments, and exams including final exams. If you do this, you won't be surprised when your professor announces the date and time of the final exam.

In addition to recording the dates and times of these exams you should also begin to organize your study material. Gathering all your study guides, notes, worksheets, etc. and sorting them by class/exam is the best way to organize the material you need to study. At that point all you have to do is open up those materials and STUDY My favorite website to use is Quizlet. You can make virtual notecards. study them, and even do matching games and tests to help you remember your material. The best part, Quizlet has an app so you don't have to carry around 100's of notecards during finals week. All your study material is accessible on your mobile device.

3.) TAKE TIME FOR SELF CARE. Finals can be and are very stressful. That being said it is not enough to take care of your physical health. You must make sure you are mentally well. You don't have to cram cram cram the next couple of weeks leading up to your exams. Do activities you enjoy, take a warm bath, blast your music and sing loudly in your room (my favorite!), go on a walk, journal, hang out or call your family and friends, breathe, go swimming, get your hair and/or nails done. Those exams will be long gone after your take them but you will always have to deal with your mental health.

4.) STAY OFF SOCIAL MEDIA. It's so easy to be distracted when you're studying by social media and your phone. During finals week I usually delete all of my social media apps. That's right, Snap Chat, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram...all GONE. Not being able to see all the crazy things people are saying online will help you focus on your work. When you unlock your phone to go on Twitter and realize it's no longer there is a great reminder to get back to work and to focus. If you must use your computer or laptop to study and need help staying off social media websites a great app to install on the Google Chrome browser is Self Control. Self Control gives you the ability to block any website address for whatever duration you set it to. Social media can sometimes be so negative and during finals week you do not need the additional stress.

5.) GO TO OFFICE HOURS. If you are lost with a subject or need further assistance, don't hesitate to go to your instructors office hours, or email them to schedule an appointment to meet with them. Most of the time instructors are in there office waiting for students to come visit them and get the help they need. Attending office hours is also a great time to get to know your instructors and chat with them about anything. You never know if and when you'll need a letter of recommendation, so why not visit them so they can get to know you better and you know them better as well.

I hope these tips helped and that you pass all your exams, projects, assignments and avoid taking an L. What are some things you do to prepare yourself and focus before and during finals week? Comment below!

#finals #test #exams #quiz #project #semester #grades #passing