Finals Will Be Here Sooner than You Think

If you’re a high school or college student, now is the time to make a plan for upcoming semester final exams and projects. Your exact plan should depend on your final exam and project schedule (which will differ from school to school) as well as the commitments you have outside of school. Some students will benefit from using Thanksgiving break to get ahead. For others, it might be better used as a chance to rest and dive into the final weeks of the semester rejuvenated.

The important thing is to be intentional about your end-of-semester plan. It is easy to go into Thanksgiving Break feeling like it is still mid-November and that there is plenty of time only to realize that it is very suddenly December as soon as you return to school.

Plan Ahead

A good way to start is to compile a list of everything you will need to prepare for in December, in and out of school: tests, final projects, performances, rehearsals, religious and/or family commitments, etc.

Put anything with scheduled times onto a calendar and then add estimates of how much time you can devote to studying for each test, working on each project, practicing outside of rehearsals, etc. Work backwards from due dates and block out time in your schedule for each thing. This schedule can be flexible as you cannot account for everything, but the more you assign time to studying the more likely you are to actually study. The goal is to get a sense of when you need to start working on things to minimize how overwhelmed you get during the busiest times.

If you struggle with procrastination, consider some kind of accountability system. This could look like making study plans with a friend so that you keep each other on track or breaking down each project or study plan into more manageable tasks, using a checklist to check things off or add stickers as you complete them. It could also involve scheduling check-ins with a parent, teacher, or other trusted adult with whom you share your plan. Making and sticking to plans is a skill in and of itself, and it will take experimentation and practice to find systems that work for you.

Get Support Where You Need It

‍If there are any classes you have been especially struggling with this fall, it's good to start preparing for those finals or projects as soon as possible. Applerouth has Academic Tutors that can help you get back on track with almost any high school subject. You’ll find your efforts are far more effective (whether you go it alone or work with a tutor) if you pace them over a few weeks rather than try to cram relearning an entire semester's worth of material into an hour or two right before the test.

If there’s one takeaway we can offer, it’s this: set aside an hour during your Thanksgiving break to follow the process we’ve outlined above and plan out your work in December. That hour will pay you back in time saved, stress relieved, and higher grades.

And, remember, you don’t have to go it alone – whether you need help planning your work or catching up on the material – we’ve got you covered. Schedule a time to talk with an Applerouth Program Director about our tutoring and coaching programs. We’ll have you on the way to finals success in no time!