Tip of the Week from Zoë

Hey everyone! It's Zoë again, for the last time this semester. Today I'm going to talk about gearing up for finals.

Tips for Finals Week


1. Focus. Look, let's just say it. The internet is the most distracting thing in the world. Your productivity is going to be cut in half (or more) if you try to study while you're on chat or StumbleUpon or Reddit or anything else. Do what you need to do. Personally, I use some applications to help me with that. Check them out.


2. Start early. Studying the information over some time will make it easier to recall. Cramming can be helpful, but your brain could also completely fail you, especially if you don't...


3. ...Get enough sleep. Reading the information once and then sleeping on it will be more helpful to you than staying up all night to go over it multiple times. Neuroscientist Frances Jensen explains the brain "will take [what you've been reading] from your short-term memory and [...] consolidate it [while you sleep]. And actually you will know it better in the morning than right before you went to sleep."


4. Avoid energy crashes. Pick foods with protein and nutrients. I mean, hopefully you do this anyway, but especially these last couple weeks, try not to compound mental and emotional stresses with physical stress.


5. Speaking of stress, try to relax. Being motivated is great, but extreme anxiety and muscle tension will only work against you.