In the unprecedented times of COVID-19, three students share how they’ve adjusted to their new situation for Finals Week and give some studying tips for freshmen students.

Allison Power, sophomore in business analytics, said she had to adjust her preparation for finals because she can’t attend in-person review sessions like she normally would, but she is still sticking to her usual strategy for studying.

“I study for finals by creating study guides for all my classes and review all of my notes that I’ve taken throughout the semester,” Power said.

Power also said it is important to find a place without any distractions to prepare for finals.

“I encourage underclassmen to take some time to find a study spot that allows them to put all of their focus into studying,” Power said.

Although many places to study will be closed due to COVID-19 restrictions, Parks Library will be open and available to students from 7:30 a.m to 2 a.m. Monday and Tuesday and from 7 a.m to 5 p.m. Wednesday. 

Adam Jackson, junior in English, said he also doesn’t plan on changing his studying habits from past years.

“Finals definitely look different with COVID-19, but my preparation is not much different,” Jackson said. “In English education, we tend to have lots of projects, so I am used to planning ahead to get things done. With online exams, it is important to plan ahead and give yourself a firm schedule to get your work done during [Prep] Week.”

Sophia Muta, senior in world languages and cultures, said her preparation for finals will be different because many of the places she would normally study at are closed due to COVID-19 restrictions.

“Something that I’ve changed this year so that I can better study in my own space since I can’t go out as much is that I make a schedule for each day and I schedule out what assignments I’m going to be working on during the exact hour,” Muta said.

Along with having a detailed schedule, Muta said it is important for students to focus on their health. This includes eating and drinking enough water and taking a lot of breaks. Even a five-minute break to shut your eyes in between assignments can be helpful so your brain can refresh itself.

“In order to function as a human being throughout the week, you need to take care of yourself or at least dedicate a little bit of time for yourself,” Muta said. “… It’s super easy for freshmen especially to feel so overwhelmed and feel like they need to do everything at once and that they cannot take the time for themselves, but that’s the exact opposite of what you should be doing.”