It’s almost the most stressful time of the semester: finals week. While our professors do their best to prepare us with appropriate homework assignments and quizzes, it’s still safe to say that it’s hard to feel truly prepared for a final.
If just the thought of taking a final is enough to terrify you, you’ve come to the right place. Being a third-year student, I’ve definitely been through my fair share of finals panic, and I know exactly how you feel. Today I’m going to share some tips and resources to help you make it through this stressful time.
To start is a simple tip that many overlook, and that is to find a dedicated study space. Whether it be your own room, a library, a common area, etc., it is crucial to have a place where you can accomplish your goals without any distractions. I personally find it incredibly hard to focus in my own room due to the distractions. Because of this, I usually go to a library or somewhere else quiet on campus. However, if you can make it work at your own home, use it as your designated workspace. Everyone will have different preferences, so it’s important to do what you’re most comfortable with.
With location being so vital to my first tip, I figured, why not talk about something that can be accessed from anywhere? I, of course, am talking about browsing the Subject Guides. While the education here is top-notch, the fact of the matter is that we won’t retain everything we learn, and the Subject Guides are a great way to touch up on what you have learned before. Beyond this, every single subject is available to anyone that has access to the guides, meaning that if you so please, you can learn about something completely new. This isn’t just base level knowledge either; these guides provide everything from dissertations to government publications and maps. The Subject Guides are a great resource for the finals grind, as the knowledge provided is so vast that it is bound to help you in some way.
If neither your class materials nor the Subject Guides are enough to assist you in your studies, you can get more specialized help by scheduling an A+ Research Coaching appointment. These sessions offer students one-on-one time with coaches for help with any research topics you may come across. If you have a paper or project instead of a traditional final to take, this is the resource for you. These sessions assist with things like developing a research question, finding or citing sources and more. The A+ Research Coaching service is invaluable.
One of the great things about Ohio State is the abundance of remarkably intelligent and well-versed people that are part of this community. From students to faculty, Ohio State is home to some of the brightest minds I’ve personally ever met. That should make it no surprise that my next tip is to talk to subject librarians. Chances are, if something is a major field of study here at Ohio State, there is a subject librarian for it. The directory of subject librarians is on the University Libraries website, and they can assist with various things from research queries to recommendations of journal titles. These individuals have a deep understanding of the subjects listed, so getting assistance from them would be a great move during finals.
My final tip I’ll leave you with is the one that I cannot stress enough: don’t overwork yourself! The previous tips won’t matter if you work yourself into exhaustion, and you need ample downtime if you want the best results from studying. Cramming a bunch of information into your head all at once may seem more efficient time-wise, but this will wear you down before long, so put down the energy drinks and instead work at a comfortable pace that allows you to really soak in the content you need to retain for finals. Slow and steady wins the race.
I’m hoping these tips from a fellow student will come in handy for everyone reading this. I know how intense finals time is, as I’ve lived through it five (almost six) times now. These are stressful times for everyone, but trust me, we will get through it.