“A Guide to Surviving Finals Week” by Kimberly Casas
After a very hectic semester, we are almost at the finish line. As a fellow student, I understand that this is the most stressful time of our studies. It may feel like everything is piling up all at once and that all of our assignment deadlines are approaching. I know how useful advice can be at a time like this, which is why I will be offering some helpful tips I wish I knew when I endured my first finals week. This guidance has helped me to finish strong in past semesters (kind of), and I hope it will do the same for you!
1. Make sure you know what days your finals are!
For the Fall 2020 semester, finals week will take place from December 9th to December 13th. I cannot stress how important it is to know the time and day of your finals. Be aware that if you have three or more finals on the same day, you can ask your professors to let you reschedule a final for a different day. Although the deadline for rescheduling finals has passed, know that this may still be an option available to you. Just ask your professor! Also keep in mind that we have finals over the weekend; this is when most people tend to forget they have exams.
2. Create a schedule
Now that you are aware of when your finals take place, write them down on a calendar. Look at what finals you have to take first. Prioritize those ones because you will have the least time to prepare for them. As soon as you finish writing it all down on a calendar, set up multiple alarms! Whenever I take a test online, I want to make sure I get the full allotted time to take it. I set my alarm about 5 minutes before the actual exam so that I can troubleshoot my computer and/or WI-FI.
3. Form study groups
More often than not, if you are confused about something in class, there are other students that are equally confused. Don’t be afraid to talk to your professor or TA, and don’t be afraid to reach out to people in your lecture, recitation, or lab. You may find that people will be able to better explain the subjects to you and, for those who share your confusion, they may have a better understanding of other class concepts. Sometimes hearing things from a classmate’s perspective make more sense.
4. Don’t be afraid to take a break
One of the things that I remember from my first-semester psychology course is my professor advising us not to pull an all-nighter studying for exams; that it would leave us tired and unable to remember the content the next day. What he suggested instead was going to bed at a reasonable hour and studying bright and early the following morning. Now let’s say you don’t spend all night studying, but you spend all day studying instead. In this case, make sure you take a break and stay mindful of your mental health. Take time for yourself. Get up and stretch. Most importantly, get up and eat!
5. A bad grade is not the end of the world
As luck would have it, you followed all my tips and still received a bad grade on an exam. What are you going to do now?
For starters, do not stress about it. One bad grade is not the end of the world. The university offers grade replacements for classes in which you receive a C- or lower. For a grade replacement, you take the class again and if you receive a better grade the second time around, that grade replaces your previous grade. That being said, you must submit the grade replacement form before the deadline or else retaking the class will not replace your previous grade. You can find more details about potential grade replacements at https://www.colorado.edu/registrar/students/degree-planning/grade-replacement. If you do get a bad grade in a class, let it motivate you to do well in other classes and in future semesters. Again, it is not the end of the world. Remember that slow and steady wins the race. You’ve got this!