Finals season is a stressful time for everyone, no matter what your major is or how good you are at studying. However, there are many things one can do to make studying and preparing for these taxing exams more beneficial in the end.

To begin, studying isn’t something one can do in one night. Take time out of everyday to learn little bits of material. The collegiate tradition of cramming doesn’t quite work as well as all of us would hope. People need time to absorb material and that absorption is what makes regurgitating the material that much easier.

Staying organized is a great way to keep stress low and keep studying constant and gradual. However, making a study schedule is just half the battle. Once you have that schedule, it is important to stick with it and not let yourself skip days just because you might not feel up to studying.

During finals week, it is important to remember to take some time for yourself and not get swept away in a whirlwind of papers, books and late nights. Staying rested and giving yourself breaks is just as important as studying.

Saying that, keeping healthy is equally important as staying rested. Ideally, students wouldn’t be as caffeine addicted as they are, but it is understandable to consume as much as we do. Eating a healthy diet is the key to staying healthy and attentive.

For those of us who might have many classes with word problems or math, this should go without saying — reviewing old exams and working through suggested problems in your class’s textbook can be the most helpful thing you can do when studying, especially when you have more than one class with similar information.

For those of us who might lean more on the side of English or memorization classes, note cards, quizlet, study guides and constant repetition of those definitions is a great tool to being able to quickly remember masses of information.

For most students, studying with others can be more beneficial than studying alone. Being with others can help keep you focused and let you bounce ideas off of one another.

Finally, when that exam comes, it is up to you to show your professor how much you learned. It is important to not get anxious or stressed before or during the exam. Keeping the right state of mind is important as well. Being positive and believing in your abilities is beneficial during and prior to the test. 

In the end, those exams will come, whether we like it or not. Try your best to learn the material and stay healthy until then. Once they come, stay calm and positive. One round of finals does not determine how much you’ve learned or how the rest of your time at Iowa State will go.