It’s almost Finals Week. 

Those two words are a lot more terrifying now that I’m in college compared to when I was in high school.

At my high school, I don’t remember there being a specific week dedicated to finals. Not to mention, the classes, in general, were a lot easier. Outside of a few math and science classes, I never really had to study in high school.

Now that I’m in college, however, I have to study. I learned that the hard way when I didn’t study for two midterm exams (oops, my bad).

And since I need to study for multiple exams taking place in the span of a week, I’m in danger of facing education burnout, which is defined as “exhaustion of physical or emotional strength or motivation usually as a result of prolonged stress or frustration.”

I’d like to avoid that fate, if possible. For that reason, I put together a short list of ways to avoid burnout.

1. Make a study plan

I have two papers to write and three exams to study for within the next week. I’m getting anxious just thinking about all of that work, which is why I made a study plan to spread out my work evenly and avoid being overwhelmed.

2. Have three or four achievable goals each day

If I have a long list of things to do each day, I’ll just end up feeling bad about myself if I don’t accomplish all of it. In a sense, this goes hand-in-hand with spreading out my work evenly, except I’m not just talking about writing papers and studying for exams.

I have other tasks, unrelated to school, that I’d still like to complete each day despite devoting a good amount of time to school.

3. Take care of yourself

It’s important to remember to take a break. Don’t spend all day doing work.

Sleep. Eat. Shower. Talk to friends. 

Don’t isolate yourself in one room all week. You’ll go crazy.

4. Celebrate your accomplishments

Watch Netflix after studying. Go out to eat with a friend after taking an exam. Buy a new book (or something else you love) as a reward for your hard work.

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Thank you for reading! Be sure to keep an eye out for my next post! And if you’d like to see more of my everyday life as an Iowa student, feel free to follow me on social media. Go Hawks!

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