It is that time in the semester where every student dreads ‘Finals Apocalyptic Week’. This is where some students leave final papers, take home exams, and preparing those 150 cue-cards for your biology exam, all until the final week of classes.
However, there is a way to survive the appalling days ahead. If you follow these simple steps, you will come out stronger, less tired, ready to enjoy your Christmas break, and you will even have a higher GPA! The secret to avoid crying in the shower, calling home crying to parents, and binge eating is all in your preparation throughout your whole semester. I am not promising this is going to be easy; however, it will be worth it—I promise!
- God time! As old fashion as it may sound, because student life becomes so busy it is so important to really take time for your bible, nature walks, or prayer time with God. You may even want to take a whole day as a Sabbath. It is a day of rest. Overall this will help your mental health!
- Prepare to sleep! According to the sleep foundation (yes that is a thing) we need 7-9 hours of sleep a night in order to maintain a healthy functioning body. Sorry to say, but long naps will not be helpful during the day. It is important to keep your body going, and keep consistent.
- Maintain a constant schedule! At Ambrose it is very easy to sleep in past noon when you have class at 2. This is not going to help you work efficiently throughout the day. It is better to get up in the morning and get moving!
- Exercise! Having motivation will help you conquer the day as if you were Captain America! Physical activity helps bump up the production of your brain's feel-good neurotransmitters. It also puts you in a better mood for the rest of your day. Exercising will also help you fight off any illnesses that linger around campus.
- Eat healthy! Whole veggies and water are the best! They are going to give you the necessary carbohydrates to last you through the day. Having fruits, veggies, and protein bars always handy will stop you from grabbing a bag of chips when you really don’t need them.
- Prepare as you go! As you go through the semester I would recommend every night reviewing what you learned that day and the class before. Making your cue-card and study notes as you go will be much more efficient than trying to make them all a couple nights before. It will also help your hands to not cramp!
- Lastly, enjoy your time here at Ambrose! This means hang out with friends, build community between one another, and don’t rush the semester away. Your university career will go by much quicker than you may realize. God is in control, and he has placed you here for a reason. You might be a biology student, ministry student, or just a general studies student but you are here to learn and grow into the person God has created you to be.
If you follow all of these steps, you will be ready to face ‘Finals Apocalyptic Week’ with hardly any crying or emotional distress. Take one day at a time; university is never meant to be easy but it is designed to challenge us to explore where we never thought our brains could go. Take it from someone who knows, you will want this guide—just be sure it is not too late or else you might be doomed.