Feelings of both dread and excitement emerge from every student as the ending of the semester comes closer into view. Students become overjoyed with thoughts of Christmas festivities and a well-deserved break from school. However, that feeling is soon crushed by the stress and pressure of finals. The final stretch in the last few weeks prior to winter break is engulfed by late night studying on school nights and weekends in preparation for these tests. Yes, finals are stressful, but with the right mindset and work ethic they can become a piece of cake.

I got a chance to sit down with current junior, Kyla Smetana, to discuss tips and advice for finals studying. First, we discussed time management where Kyla expressed, “I found to be most successful when I balanced my study time. Don’t cram your work – procrastinating will only build on your stress.” Like myself, Kyla’s experience with finals over the past 3 years show trial and error for what works and what doesn’t. Studying is best fit by finding what works specifically for our own way of learning. Also, Kyla makes great points about procrastination: issues of cramming can be solved with the designation of small sessions of finals studying that are balanced throughout the last few weeks before finals. Although it is good to create the balance in study time, it’s important not to stretch your preparation too long. Finals studying is very significant, but it shouldn’t be the most crucial aspect of our school lives.

Another topic of advice stemmed from issues of overall stress. Kyla advises, “Finals, especially to freshmen who are new to the system, can seem very intimidating in the way that they weigh our grades. However, once you take a step back and look at the big picture, a few long tests aren’t as big as we think they are.” Lincoln-Way does an excellent job in preparing each and every student every time that we walk through our classroom doors. Therefore, we shouldn’t put so much stress on ourselves because we have the confidence and knowledge within us to do well. It’s important to put in hard work and effort, but in retrospect, they’re just a few tests that reflect how we’re doing so far. Simply talk to your teachers or peers for any help, get lots of sleep, eat a good breakfast, and don’t let the pressures of studying consume all of your time!

All in all, nobody likes finals, nor do I believe that anyone will ever truly enjoy them, but there are ways of getting through them without feeling drained by the time winter break starts.