How to...

How to survive finals week at WPI:

1) Know yourself: In order to be most successful during this hectic week you need to know your strengths and weaknesses. For example, I work best in the morning: strength, however I DO NOT work well at night: weakness. I can plan my study and work schedule around when I will be most productive. In all reality this will make me happier and save me a lot of time.


2) Plan ahead: Although it is human nature to procrastinate, the more you can get done before the stress of finals sets in, the better off you will be. Most projects and papers are assigned well before they are due. Take a look at them, even if you don't fully complete them a week early, having some work done will relieve stress during crunch time.


3) Find people to study with: I have always found studying with people to be not only more fun, but actually more productive. This is really very simple, if people are meeting with you to study, you have to be there... it's an easy way to hold yourself accountable.


4) Take breaks: No one can study or do work for endless hours. We all need some time to relax and sleep. (Along this train of thought, I personally recommend self-medication with a healthy dose of chocolate)


5) Finally, complain. Finals week is never fun, so talk about it. Your friends will all understand and probably want to let out some steam as well.


Obviously a lot of hard work and time have to go into finals, however if you take a few deep breaths and worry about one deadline at a time, anything is achievable.