Finals season at Camosun is fast approaching once again.
No matter what program you are in, it’s likely you’re starting to feel the crunch. At the time of writing, I have over a dozen assignments, five exams, and what feels like a million group projects due in the next month.
It can certainly feel overwhelming to have all this work due when all you really want to do is get in the holiday spirit. I get it. Here are some tips for managing workload and stress during the semester’s busy season.
Get organized
If you haven’t already done it, this is step number one.Write down everything you have to do between now and the end of term. Prioritize by the amount of time it’s going to take and how much the assignment or exam is worth.
Break things into chunks
Ten-page papers and multi-unit exams can seem like a lot when they are staring you right in the face. Spreading the work you need to do over several more manageable pieces can be super helpful here. Try just writing a page a day or studying one unit at a time before reviewing all the concepts.
Find the time
This is something I’ve written about in the past, and I’m revisiting it because it’s so important to actually accomplish things. Once you have all your tasks and chunks set up, figure out when you are going to do them. If you just leave something “until next week” or set a vague date to work on it there’s a much higher chance it will fall through the cracks.
Do the thing
Enough planning. It’s time to do the work. Put your headphones on and your phone away and get cracking. If you’re easily distracted by family members or roommates, then get out of the house. Campus is open but usually empty on the weekends, and, speaking from experience, they don’t kick you out until at least 10 pm. You’ll be surprised at how much work you can actually get done in a day without any distractions.
Get help
Camosun has several resources available for students, including help centres for English, science, writing, and math. If you’re confused about a topic, don’t rely on AI, go talk to a pro.
Go to office hours
Your instructors are the ones marking the work, so they know what they’re looking for better than anyone else. It also never hurts to make connections.
Happy studying.