Finals week is fast approaching. My finals start the first week of May. So now is the time when I create my study schedule. I know everyone is barreling toward summer at supe
rsonic speeds. So when I create my schedule, I try to keep that in mind. I block out my classes as they are scheduled
. From there, I write in major projects and homework due in each class on each day.
My schedule is laid out so it shows EVERYTHING on a single page (from April 15 to May 4). That way I can see it all without having to flip pages. I always start by assessing my grades in each class, and whether or not it is of significant importance if I happen to slack on the c
lass a little. You can make one on Excel or any spreadsheet program, but since I like a single page, and Excel refused to shrink everything to a single page, I just made a table in Word, and smashed it all in. I also throw this thing into my Google Calendar, so my SectoGraph app will give me a clear view of my schedule for that day.
Since I have a paper due on the 19th and a quiz on the 18th and 20th as well as an exam on the 20th, I have to devote some serious time to those particular classes along with doing all of my other work. If this paper weren’t such a huge chunk of my grade, I’d probably slack a little on it (to be honest, I did put it off to the last minute sort of). I don’t recommend anyone putting off a huge paper until 4 days before it’s due. However, this is how I work best. It seems counterintuitive, but I have done all of my research and have notes and outlines that I’ve done. I just haven’t actually drafted my paper yet.
As you can see in my schedule, I’ve blocked out times with breaks to work on my paper, and other things. Having this type of schedule is handy. It forces focus and if you stick to it, you should have plenty of time to study.
As you can also see, I have plenty of blank space in the evening to just decompress and vegetate in front of the television or computer. My gym times aren’t on here, because I 
work out at an ungodly early 4:00 in the morning. Some people study or listen to lectures when they are working out, I use it to get my pent up stress out and focus on other things that have nothing to do with school.
These are the three weeks where my diet goes more to hell than anything. I try to keep fruits and veggies to snack on around, but I also tend to grab bags of Twizzlers and tootsie roll pops and go through them while I’m reading.
Anyway, I hope this has been helpful in getting you motivated to create your own finals study schedule! Happy studying!
studying Trigonometry in order to keep my solid A in the class. It is a comprehensive final, so I am trying to go back to the beginning of the semester and remember what we covered. I have been lucky that the rest of my classes have been pretty breezy just because they are interdisciplinary core courses that are required. So, instead of exams, I had papers– so many papers.
College Confessions Over Coffee 