Finals: You’re Only One Step Away from Summer!

You’re sitting on your sofa, thinking about the wonderful summer vacation you’re going to have in a few weeks. Tanning on the beach, drinking a nice cup of fruit punch with your family and friends as you watch a MSC cruise go by. Then, you suddenly remember the function tan(x), glucose from your fruit punch and the negative consumption externalities and the marginal social cost of the guy that’s smoking next to you. Oh bummer, exams.

Stressed is the word that most people would use to describe themselves right now. Maybe not all, but most. You’ve got 5 or for some, 6 exams, ahead of you and you’re trying hard to review all the topics you’ve covered. When I asked Aakaash Kanji about his feelings towards exams he said, “I am stressed about not being stressed.” It’s that time of the year again. It’s the time where students are so stressed that they don’t know how they’re feeling anymore. We’re only a day away from our first exams and the only thing we can do as students is study. But don’t worry: we’re almost done, we’re almost there.

So how do our students cope with stress? I asked a couple of students about ways they cope with this type of mental anguish, and I received answers ranging from seeking comfort by talking to peers who are more unprepared, all the way to stress eating. Within this spectrum also appear exercising, dancing and singing. These are all great ways to cope with stress. Some are healthy and some are, well, less healthy. Personally, what I like to do is have some very quiet music in the background to help me relax. I make sure to choose songs I don’t know so I don’t end up singing along and get distracted. Other ways that our student body copes with stress is through brief mental breaks, healthy eating, short naps and short walks. There are many ways to cope with stress—don’t limit yourself to just reading your books, cramming and stressing about exams.

Here are 10 tips from the survivors of numerous final exams and IB exams:

1. Don’t procrastinate, don’t cram and start early (file this suggestion away for next semester!)
2. Make studying fun by organizing and making your notes pretty
3. Find a comfortable and quiet place to study
4. Take mental breaks and drink lots of water
5. Watch *educational and review related* videos when you’re tired of reading
6. If you’re a visual learner, draw diagrams
7. Write your notes out again, put them in your notebook
8. Chew gum: it apparently improves your memory (a cognitive process—shoutout to the psych students!)
9. Use productivity apps
10. Make schedules for yourself and actually follow them

One last thing: Don’t cry too much. You’re almost done. Good luck!