By: Samantha Smith
With finals week slowly creeping towards us, it’s time to start preparing for finals. If you’re like me, you like to leave things until the last minute before suddenly panicking and trying to catch-up as fast as possible. This year, my finals week will be much different than it has been in previous years. Most of my classes are asking for papers or presentations to be due the week prior rather than having an exam during finals week. Personally, I find this much less stressful than preparing for and taking a large, cumulative exam.
In order to prepare for finals, I think the first thing anyone needs to conquer is their mind. Mental state accounts for much more of your failure or success than many people give it credit for, and personally I believe in the statement, “mind over matter.” If you are in the right state of mind to succeed and you’ve studied properly, chances are you are ready to ace your exam. My suggestions for those worried about exam week, especially freshman, is to review your notes, make sure you’ve gone over any readings or videos that were presented in class, and get some sleep! Sleep is another major component of succeeding, especially when you’re testing your mind. Most people will recommend starting to study early in the semester by reviewing your notes daily or weekly. Personally, I have never tried this method, but I am sure it works great. For those of you who didn’t start your studying early, no need to panic because I’m with you! My record is a perfect example of how even if you aren’t the early bird, you can still catch the worm if you put in the effort.
If there’s one final tip I would leave you with, I would emphasize, don’t stress. Stressing will in now way help you when you’re preparing for a big event, regardless of if it’s an exam or any other thing you may have coming up. If being a rodeo athlete has taught me one thing about stress, it is that all stress does is drag you down. Keep your head up, stay positive, and read your notes! Wishing you all the best of luck!