UNH Today

We did it! We made it through another semester at UNH. You can count the days until finals begin on one hand, which is terrifying in its own way. Finals don’t have to be the most horrible part of the semester, though. Here are some easy tips and tricks to get you through!

Step 1: Prep

Acing finals starts with how you prepare. Set aside time to make a game plan for how to study, when to relax and how to celebrate being done with your finals!

Prioritize — Create a Study Plan

By now, you should know which days your exams are and when your term papers are due. Mark those dates on your calendar AND in your phone. Have a visual place where you can see everything you have coming up. Include not only your test dates, but start times for when to study, social events and other reminders of things you need to do by the end of the semester. If you write everything out, try to color code to make things visually clearer. Put everything for one class in one color, social events in another and so on.

Know Your Final

Before you plan any further, make sure you know what kind of final you’re taking for your classes, or even if your class is having a final during finals week. Some discovery courses opt to hold the final exam in the week or two before classes end, especially for the larger classes. If this is the case for you, congrats! You are probably already halfway done with finals and are in a much better, less stressed place than many of your classmates. If this isn’t the case for you, check with your professor. Are you having an exam? Is it multiple choice? Short answer? Can you use your notes? Do you have a term paper? How long? What kind of a paper is it? Is it due in person, by email or on MyCourses? Consider all of these questions and more when coming up with your finals study plan.

Proportions

Not every exam or paper is going to require the same amount of time and effort. Your five page analysis paper is, in most cases, not going to take as long to write as your ten page research paper. Your physics final exam is probably going to need a little more time dedicated to studying than your English 401 personal essay. Know your strengths, know what you struggled with throughout the semester. Once you know what YOU need to spend the most time working on, take out your handy-dandy calendar and plan accordingly. Plan your studying and writing proportionately for what you need to do to ace that final.

Know Your Notes

Now that you know what kind of final you are having and you’ve made a plan of attack, start organizing your notes. If you have a study guide, use that to figure out how to best organize how you will make your notes. If you are allowed to bring a note card or “cheat sheet” to your exam, start working on that while you study. It will make the night before your exam just a little shorter.

Office Hours

Take advantage of office hours before and during your studying. Find out when your professor’s finals hours are and, if you need help, don’t be afraid to reach out. If you can’t make it to office hours, email them. 

Step 2: Study

You have your plan formed, and now it is time to study. So, find your quiet space or meet up with your group and get down to business.

Group Chat

If you are the kind of person who studies best in a group, ask around for people in your class who would be willing to meet up and study for the final together. If you can’t all meet in person, try creating a Google doc and give everyone access to it to share notes. Even if your final is a term paper, writing individually but in a group setting may be beneficial as you can get feedback from a fresh set of eyes quicker than if you try emailing it to your mom.

Don’t feel pressured to join a study group, though! Know how you study best. If you like to study alone, then do that. Do what you need to succeed.

Talk It Out

This is easier done with a study group than if you are alone but try to talk through what you are studying, especially if you are struggling with understanding the material. Studies show that talking your way through a problem will help you better understand it and remember the information for your exam. If you aren’t with a group, try calling your parents or some friends and just try to explain that equation or the plot to that eighteenth century novel. Even better if you can Skype or do it in person!

White It Out

Take advantage of white boards! If you are in a study room with access to one, use it. Write out the equation and work through it. After you’ve solved it, take a photo of the board and add it to your notes. This is great if you’re in a group — you can work together to solve the problem.

Reward Yourself

We’ve all seen this tip before, but I’ll say it again: Reward yourself along the way. Head on down to the vending machine and buy some fruit snacks or M&Ms and space them throughout your reading or notes. Use them as a rewards system for getting that far. If you’re working on an equation, give yourself one (or three) whenever you finish a problem correctly. Positive reinforcement can be a pretty useful (and tasty!) way to memorize items for your exam.

If your finals are all term papers, try writing your outline for your paper and even the quotes you’re going to use. Put your reward at the end of each quote you’re planning to incorporate and when you use it, have your treat! Why should rewards be only for exam studying? (Am I right, English majors?)

Step 3: Relax

Finals are stressful enough. Don’t make things harder by denying yourself a chance to relax.

Take Care of Yourself

You should be doing this all throughout finals week, but here is your reminder: Take care of yourself. Drink lots of water, eat healthfully and remember to sleep. You won’t do as well if you aren’t taking care of yourself.

50-10 Rule

Keep in mind how long you’ve been studying. The most effective studying is done with breaks mixed in, especially if you are going between subjects. Try to study for 20-50 minutes at a time and then take a five to ten minute break. If you are going from, say, studying calculus to studying literature, try taking a fifteen minute break to clear your head. Get online so that you can play that cool dinosaur game on Google chrome and play that until the dino runs into a cactus or scroll through your Instagram feed. Set aside some time to clear your head and freshen up.

Stress Relief

A great event to help you unwind is May Day! This annual carnival is the perfect way to enjoy the last weekend before finals. Plus, it is a ton of fun. Take a ride on the zipper or see the animals at the petting zoo. Also, free giveaways. Who doesn’t like free stuff?

Once finals officially begin, there are still events going on to help you unwind and get through finals without stressing out. UNH Health & Wellness Services and Healthy UNH bring Frazzle Free Finals to the library with a bunch of activities in May. They’ll help you to manage stress with Study Buddies (Who doesn’t like getting to pet and play with dogs for hours on end? No one, that’s who), guided meditation, YoNola Bar, coloring therapy, chair massages and hula hooping! The events go on throughout the day so make sure to stop by.

Work It Out

For some people, the best way to destress from finals and studying is to work out. The Hamel Rec Center is open until midnight during the week so no matter when you need to hit the treadmill or the racquetball courts, you can. If the gym isn’t for you but you really need to get up and move around, try heading out to college woods for a walk. The trails are easy and you can make your exploration as long or short as you want.

Picture This

Finally, take some time to imagine yourself acing your finals. When you’re taking your seat, waiting for the exam to be passed out, or the night before as you’re laying in bed, picture yourself getting an A. This can help to lower the feeling of anxiety commonly associated with taking exams.

Step 4: Done

Finally (Did you see what I did there?), you are done! There are no tips in this section because you can finally say you are done with another year at UNH. For some, that means it is almost time to put on your cap and gown and enjoy Commencement. For others, it simply means time to enjoy the sun and start your shifts at summer jobs. No matter what, it is time for a well deserved break from exams, papers and homework. So finish packing up and moving out of your dorm and enjoy the summer!

See you in the fall, Wildcats!