It’s that time of year, residents! The end of the semester is nigh, and soon students will be absorbed in all the studying, writing, and other preparations of finals season (some of you might have gotten started already!). This time of year can be stressful and anxiety-producing even for the most organized students, so we’d like to suggest a few tips that can help you crush it this finals season.
If you have any friends or neighbors in our Missoula student apartments who could use a little help getting through finals season (and let’s face it, who couldn’t?), be sure to share this post with them. This time of year is so much easier if we all help each other out! For now, help yourself out by taking a quick read through our top tips for finals season!
Put Studying on your Calendar
You may have put all your finals and due dates on your calendar (if you haven’t yet, do that too), but have you actually scheduled when you’ll be studying? It can feel odd to put amorphous tasks like “Study for Calc Final” on your calendar, but setting an expectation for yourself about when you’ll be studying and when you’ll be doing everything else (after all, it’s important to take breaks, sleep, eat, and all that good stuff) can help you be more productive and less burnt out with your study schedule. Be realistic about the time you need for breaks, sleep, and self-care, and schedule those in as well. You’ll feel more productive and have higher endurance for the studying process when you’re intentional about studying and about meeting your other needs as well.
Break Large Projects Into Smaller Tasks
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when you try to focus on every aspect of a large task all at once. It can feel impossible to get enough done when you have something big hanging over you, and that can keep us from even getting started. Take some time to enumerate separate tasks that are necessary parts of completing the larger task and then put those tasks on your to-do list. Working toward these smaller tasks feels more achievable, and will give you that helpful feeling of making progress, even when there’s still a lot of work to do. Breaking large projects into smaller tasks like this also makes it easier to manage your time effectively and schedule your work out on a calendar.
Form a Study Group
Sometimes when we work alone, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed, or procrastinate as a way of coping with stress and fatigue. Studying with others helps us feel motivated and allows us to draw on the strength of others in areas where we don’t feel as competent. Being accountable to others and getting their help in return can make all the difference, especially when our notes have blank spots, we aren’t understanding a particular concept, or we’re just having trouble keeping to a good study schedule.
Take Advantage of Every Resource
Universities, and your professors specifically, often provide lots of resources you can take advantage of around finals season. Take stock of what’s available to you and don’t resign yourself to doing everything entirely on your own. Attend those optional review sessions, visit your instructors during their office hours, and get help at the Writing Center. Make sure you’ve communicated with your instructors about disability accommodations too, if applicable.
Get Plenty of Sleep
Seriously, sleep is important. It helps you store the memories you need and stay focused during those long study sessions. It’s particularly important to get good sleep the night before a final. If you’re having trouble getting good sleep, check out our post on How to Sleep Better at Your Missoula Student Apartments for some help!
With these tips, we know you’ll crush it this finals season! Don’t forget that The Sawyer’s student apartments in Missoula feature an Academic Center & Study Lounges that provide perfect places for group study sessions or a simple change of scenery while you work on that big paper. That’s just part of what makes The Sawyer one of the communities of student apartments Missoula students love living in.
Send this post to all your friends and neighbors who are hard at work this finals season, and be sure to bookmark our blog page so you can take advantage of all our tips and recommendations to come! Beyond that, be sure to follow us on Instagram so you aren’t missing any community updates, events, and special offers! Happy studying, residents!