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6 Ways to Get Ready for Finals Over Thanksgiving Break


If you’re a college student, I’m guessing the title of this blog doesn’t sound so appealing. I can hear you protesting, “But it’s Thanksgiving break! What part of break do you not understand?”.
Well, yes, of course you should enjoy your break, spend time with family and friends, and concern yourself with things other than school. But here’s an unfortunate reality check: final exams are coming up very soon. If you devote just a little time over Thanksgiving to do some preparations for finals, your life maybe quite a bit easier when those exams roll around. And hey, if you’re bummed out about studying over Thanksgiving break, keep in mind that winter break is right around the corner — and you won’t have to do any studying at all then!
Here are some tasks you can accomplish over Thanksgiving break.

  1. Make a schedule for the next few weeks. This may be the most helpful thing you can do for yourself. Before things get really hectic, do some serious time management. Make a list of everything you have to do before the end of the semester, and map out when you’re going to do it all. Trust me, if you do this well, it will make a difference in your performance and sanity during finals!
  2. Catch up on the reading. Now, if you’re thousands of pages behind, this might be a lost cause. But if you’re behind just a little bit here and there, do the reading now. You might want to catch up selectively and read the things that you think are most important.
  3. Look over your notes. Bring all your notes home from school and read through them all. If they’re a mess, reorganize them. This kind of refresher will very much come in handy when it comes time to take those tests. And in relation to this:
  4. Make a list of questions for the instructor. After looking over your notes, if there are points you don’t understand, make a note to ask the teacher when you get back.
  5. Work on final projects. Trying to finish up papers and presentations and other final projects can be a nightmare when you’ve got more than one project, and when you also have to study for finals. Any work you can get done over break will free up time for something else.
  6. Relax and focus. Yes, you should catch up on some school tasks over break, but be sure to give yourself a breather as well! You’re about to get very busy, after all, so take some time to put things into perspective. And, of course, catch up on your sleep!