Finals are upon us!

If you’re a freshman, congratulations on making it to the end of your first semester of college! We wish you all the best of luck on finals and a restful break–and a happy and healthy start to 2023!

Here are some tips for studying for finals and staying healthy and sane through the process.

On keeping sane… Ms. Tanzman recommends practicing mindfulness.

According to Jon Kabat-Zinn, “Mindfulness is awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally” (www.mindful.org). As you may remember from our first-year colloquium class, incorporating mindfulness into your daily routine has many benefits.

It is recommended that you try different meditations in order to figure out which ones work best for you in different situations. It is also possible that you may find that you prefer only one or two meditations, but it is still encouraged to experiment with as many as you can. Koru Mindfulness has free guided meditations that students can access to practice mindfulness. The audio recordings can be found at: https://student.korumindfulness.org/free-guided-meditations.html.

It can be difficult during final time to focus on studying for long stretches. To facilitate this, students often consume large quantities of caffeine. This along with stress can then make it difficult for students to fall asleep in the evenings.

Instead of caffeine, try dynamic breathing for 1-2 minutes to help wake up and improve focus. While it may look embarrassing, students can usually do this in a bathroom or private space. This can be done as short breaks throughout your study session. It also should not prevent you from being able to fall asleep later that night. See tutorial: https://student.korumindfulness.org/resources.html.

When you have trouble falling asleep, you can try belly breathing. Belly breathing can help with relaxation, which can be what is needed to fall asleep during a stressful time. See tutorial: https://student.korumindfulness.org/resources.html.

Dr. Weinstein recommends scheduling “down time” with your studying.

If you try to study 24/7, you’re going to burn out. It’s literally not possible to constantly study without breaks. Schedule your breaks–actually put them on your calendar and write what you will do in that free time.

Dr. Weinstein doesn’t practice mindfulness, but recommends the following preferred ways to take study breaks:

1. Watching reruns of her favorite TV shows including The West Wing, Gilmore Girls, Grey’s Anatomy, After Life, and The Good Wife.
2. Taking her puppy for a walk. Get some fresh air!
3. Dance it out — put on your favorite music and have a 10 minute private dance party. (But please don’t do this in the library!)
4. Call a friend and talk about anything OTHER than studying for 15-20 minutes.
5. Cook a healthy meal. Eating junk food and guzzling coffee (as delicious as coffee definitely is) won’t fuel your brain in the way you think. Get protein!

REMEMBER TO SLEEP!

We know that finals are stressful, and that stress and anxiety over getting all of your assignments and studying done are not conditions that are conductive to a good night’s sleep. Try to get at least six hours per night! Seven to nine hours is ideal, but we understand that that amount of time is possibly unrealistic.

STUDY TIPS!

There are lots of ways to study for exams and get those papers done. Here are some tips from the professionals:

1. “Spew and edit” –for papers, it’s important to get your ideas on paper. Then you can revise and make them pretty.
2. Study groups: Particularly useful for classes that have problem sets, so you can share answers and help your peers (and get help) when you go wrong. Plus, the comradery will help keep you energized and accountable.
3. Find a place where YOU study best. Do you like background noise or do you prefer perfect quiet? Do some studying in a coffee shop if you like the noise; or lock yourself on the top floor of the library if you prefer silence. If you’re a freshman, you might not yet know how you best study, so try both and figure it out! (There is no “right” way though so many people laud the benefits of quiet.)
4. Find a friend to be an “accountability buddy.” This strategy is popular with people who have specific goals. Tell someone the goal, and then have them call you to keep you accountable. Include a small “punishment” if you don’t meet the goal. For example: If you tell your friend Sally that you’re going to finish writing your History paper by 6pm on Tuesday, have her call you at 6pm on Tuesday to ask if you’ve finished. If you have, awesome! If you haven’t, perhaps your “punishment” is that you have to buy her lunch the next time you see each other.
5. Stop with the flash cards, unless you are dealing with a class that calls ONLY for memorization.
   1. Flashcards are good for memorizing vocabulary and forumulae, but they are useless for most other types of studying.
6. Explain the course content to someone else. Find a parent, grandparent, sibling, cousin, friend, whoever –and teach them the content that you will be tested on. Tell them to ask questions as you go. If the material makes sense and you can explain it to someone else, then you’ll know you have a good grasp on it yourself.

Unsure how to prepare for a class?

ASK THE PROFESSOR!

This is literally what office hours are for. The professor wrote the test, and will know best how to study for it. Don’t be shy–go ask! Going to office hours is also a great way for the professor to know who you are, which can only work to your advantage.

WE WISH YOU ALL THE BEST OF LUCK ON YOUR FINALS!

Warmly,

Ms. Sadhoo, Ms. Tanzman, & Dr. Weinstein