La Voz

Finals are stressful for all of us, as we struggle with the extra studying and cramming, not to mention juggling jobs and maintaining a relatively normal semblance of a social life. But why not enter this summer on a positive note, preferably with As and Bs? Try managing your finals this time without feeling like you came out on the other end of a hurricane.

Start Early. Procrastination is still the number one disease plaguing students. If it's known ahead of time that it's necessary to review all 15 chapters of the book, try starting now instead of the day before the final. If you were diligent and kept notes, start reviewing those now. Any questions you have can be answered by your instructor instead of calling a friend in the middle of the night or scouring the textbook to no avail.

Talk to your instructors. Make sure you know what they expect. Sometimes, if you ask, you can get an outline of the final to let you know exactly what to study. Don't wait until the end to try to do makeup work, you'll only waste your time.

Stick to a good diet and exercise routine. Cheetos and Sprite are not chock full of nutritional value for learning minds. Walking to the fridge and back is not an exercise routine. Work something good for you into your day, like cooking your own healthy dinner. Or in the midst of studying, take advantage of the great weather and go for a walk.

Form study groups. Since you still want to see your friends or your boy/girl friend, go study with them. You earn extra points if they already took the class before you did and know the subject, and you'll have someone to talk you down from the ledge when you think your brain has melted in your skull.

Keep your commitments reasonable. Let your boss and parents know it's finals time. People around you want you to succeed, so if you need help or a day off, don't be afraid to ask.

Set up positive rewards. Plan a trip to the beach for the day after finals. Make it a BBQ with your friends. Or do whatever it is that you can't wait to do once summer starts. Let these be rewards for all the hard work. Start earlier if you like, there's no reason to feel like you're working with no end in sight.

Just don't neglect your finals. With these tips, you should be able to survive finals with your sanity intact. Just try not to overdose on the Red Bull.

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