What College Freshmen Should Do the Week Before Final Exams
The pressure of final exams is building.
Your grades maybe aren’t where you’d like them to be. Your bad habits haven’t disappeared. Your sleep schedule is a wreck.
You’re not even sure how you’re going to survive the busyness of this time of the year.
While the week before finals isn’t enough time to fix all of these problems, you can make a few choices that can help you better manage the stress of the upcoming week of finals.
Below are 5 tips for the week before finals week!
Turn in outstanding assignments.
Most teachers are willing to accept late work with a slight grade deduction.
Any grade is better than a zero, so if your teacher extended the deadline or accepted late work this is your chance to earn back a few more points.
Here are a few tips for turning in late work at the end of the semester:
Be strategic. Not all late work is a good use of your time at this point in the school year. For example, you never submitted a few small assignments that are worth very little of your overall grade. If your grade is securely stuck in the middle of letter grade (i.e. 75%), these small assignments aren’t likely to bring your grade up enough to make a tremendous difference. If your grade is more borderline (i.e. 79.45%), these small assignments may help to tip the scale in your favor.
Refuse to assume. Just because your teacher extended an opportunity to submit late work in the past doesn’t mean this still applies. If your assignment is from the very beginning of the semester or even halfway through, your teacher may be more annoyed by you turning in a minor assignment this late. When in doubt, politely ask if they would allow you to submit any late work from the beginning of the semester.
Be thorough. If you do submit an assignment this late, do it well. Even if your grade isn’t borderline, you don’t want to risk getting on your teacher’s “bad side” with sloppily completed late work. They will likely put off grading it or give you little credit if you show a lack of thoroughness in your work.
Be appreciative. A simple “thank you” goes a long way with a teacher who is weary too. Express appreciation for them allowing you to submit late work and taking the time to grade something extra when they already have so much to grade.
Briefly assess which classes potentially impact your GPA the most.
Notice the use of the word “briefly.”
Some students spend excessive amounts of time calculating numerous “what if” grade scenarios. This isn’t the best use of your time at this point in the semester.
So how can figure out where your grades are and what grades you need?
Do a google search. This is likely the first place you think to look. There are numerous grade calculators that can help you get a general picture of where your grade is and where it’s possible for it to be.
Use your school’s learning management system (LMS). Your school likely uses Canvas, Blackboard, or some other similar tool for a grade-book, online documents, etc. You can actually calculate your possible grade within most LMS. For example, in Canvas, the “what if” feature allows you to enter possible grades on future assignments to see how that impacts your final grade.
Sometimes realizing you can’t earn the grade you so desperately want in a class can leave you feeling defeated. Don’t let yourself get discouraged.
As I tell my students, “You can only do the best with what you have.” You can’t change the past. You can only work within the present.
Your grades do matter but you’re learning much more at college than any letter grade shows.
Rest and relax.
Rest? Relax? No, this isn’t a delusional reality.
While your resting and relaxing at this point in the semester may look different than it will during winter break, your body needs to recharge before the busyness of finals.
If you spend the week before finals pulling repeated all-nighters or skipping lots of meals, you’re not positioning yourself to perform at your best during finals week.
Here are a few ways to rest and relax during the busiest part of the semester:
Go to bed as early as possible. You can’t go to bed at 8pm likely, but you can refuse to stay up into the early hours of the morning. By using your free hours in the day to get more things done and saying “no” to late-night runs for food, you can help your body get some highly needed rest.
Get active. Even if you’re not a big fitness person, going on a walk or using a short Youtube workout video can help your physical body be in a better place. You don’t have to totally revamp your life to add in a little physical activity that helps to maintain your health.
Spend time with friends. While you probably shouldn’t run out late at night to grab food, there are plenty of times during the day where you can get some much needed socializing. Using coffee runs or meal times to spend with good friends can help your mind recharge.
Though I’m not a doctor or a medical expert of any kind, I know from personal experience that taking care of your health can make a big difference in times of heightened stress.
Try it out. It might be something you want to continue throughout the whole school year.
Plan your studying schedule.
If you’re waiting until the night before an exam to study, you’re probably less likely to do well.
Cramming, creating innumerable flashcards, and other study shortcuts aren’t likely to help either.
Instead, creating a plan for studying can help you to avoid these last-minute studying sessions.
Here are a few tips to get you started:
Organize your exam schedule. By simply “mapping out” what your finals week looks like, you can relieve a lot of stress and lessen mental fatigue. (I’ve written a post on this before with much more detail. Read it here!)
Dismiss certain myths about finals. Certain myths are spread about finals that simply are not true. Not studying for all your classes, going to all review sessions, studying in your dorm room, and more are things upperclassmen might even tell you to do. These aren’t the best tactics for handling your finals. (I’ve written a post about these 5 lies. Read it here!)
Strategically approach studying. Studying requires strategy. Studying isn’t always talked about on a practical level. Some students intuitively get how to study while others take years to figure it out. Prioritizing more important classes, identifying each professor’s testing styles, and more can help your studying be more strategic and helpful. (I’ve written a post about this topic as well. Read it here!)
Carefully select where to study. Studying in your dorm room is a recipe for getting distracted and getting almost nothing done. It’s a comfortable and familiar space, but these are the very reasons why it’s probably not the best studying spot. Instead choose spaces that help you focus and get work done. (I’ve written a post about the 4 best studying spots. Read it here!)
Finals week can be strenuous, exhausting, and discouraging. But it also can be a week where you’re able to make wise choices and bring up your grades.
Using these 4 tips can help you head into finals feeling more prepared and more energized for the week ahead.
And it’s possible this finals week will be one of the most rewarding of the semester!
