College students buckle down with books and flashcards as final exams are right around the corner. They are stressful for mostly every College Student. Getting through them is rough, but it's even worse when a grade or scholarship is on the line. As a first semester freshman, I can relate. I am currently writing two presentations, trying to maintain my scholarship, and studying for six finals.

Here's some advice on how to get through the worst of Exam Time without making it seem like your life, rather than your GPA, is on the line.

Exams are important but so is your mental health.

Whether it's to bring your GPA up by a letter grade or just to pass a class, we all know that exams are crucial. However, college is a crucial time in taking care of your mental health. About 36.4 percent of college students report depression while 50 percent report struggling in with school mental illnesses. Many college students struggle with balancing their studies and mental health. Remember, nothing is more important than yourself. Don't stress too hard over the exam; it's just a grade, and you'll probably do fine. Allow yourself a break, eat well, and get plenty of sleep to make sure your mentality is all set for the big day. You don't want to overwhelm yourself and crash before the exam.

You're more likely to do poorly that way, which won't help anything anyway.

Study buddies are the best

If you're having trouble studying by yourself, find a group of people in your classes and quiz each other. Teaching someone is a great way to retain memory, and it makes the material more entertaining when you've got a study buddy!

The content won't get any easier, so you might as well make the most of it if you can. Just make sure you don't get off topic. To do this, set timers for short amounts of time to study. Take an even shorter break afterwords. The easier it is to stay on task with the timers, the more time you add. However, you still take the same short breaks.

If this doesn't keep you on task, you may want to continue studying alone.

I keep getting distracted studying.

College definitely allows for more freedom in time when it comes to studying. College students have a tendency to get distracted when studying. I wish I could count the number of times I get on my phone when I'm supposed to be studying for finals. Distractions are nasty habits. A few common things that distract are phones and noises. In order to avoid these, turn off your phone or go to a new place and leave the phone behind. Find a quiet place to study, like a library or in a secluded location on campus. Not having these distractions helps you focus and learn better.

If you have to do it, just get it done.

I know from personal experience that I am the biggest procrastinator in the world! But if you have work to get done, just finish it in a timely manner. You make it so much harder on yourself when you put everything off until the last minute, which can cause more stress and less study time. Professors do have a tendency to pile assignments on at the last minute, trying to cram everything before the end of the semester, but don't fret. Make a study schedule outlining what you have to turn in and when, along with what you have to study for finals and when those are. It lets your life go a lot smoother if you follow it.

Write, write, write

One way to study for exams is a piece of advice given to me by an upperclassmen for my microeconomics course: write everything out by hand.

This helps you retain information and learn faster. It may take up a good portion of your studying, but that sweet grade on your final will make up for the lost time.

Gosh, I hope it gets easier

As I mentioned before, I am a first year student, meaning I am about to take on my first set of final exams. The late nights are happening, and the coffee keeps brewing. Being a college student never seemed so difficult. Just remember it's a week of your life that is stressful. You will survive. Just keep on studying and you will ace that final exam.
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