Hey Y’all,  

Welcome back to Aminas Fli experience, a blog dedicated to detailing the life of a First-Generation Low Income Pre-med student at Bryn Mawr. 

Dun dun dunnnn! Finals week is among us.

Thanksgiving break is over which means it is time to push through the last weeks of the semester. With final projects, papers and tests, this time of year can be extremely hectic and stressful—especially as the holiday season approaches. 

It can be difficult to find motivation during winter finals week when all you want to do is grab a blanket and snuggle up in bed watching holiday specials. 

But, this is the home stretch and although it can feel a bit overwhelming (especially as a first year) I am here to share some tidbits about how to stay motivated and survive finals week.

But before I do… enjoy this image of me taking a nap in Park Science Building after drinking 2 bang energy drinks and pulling an all nighter studying for my neuroscience exam. (something I definitely do not recommend doing, but alas drastic times call for drastic measures)

Now first on our list we have…

1. Make a schedule 
   1. I cannot stress enough the importance of to-do lists and schedules. I live by my google calendar and pocket journal. Listing out all of your meetings and due dates so that you can visually see your obligations is a crucial part of staying on top of it. My friends have a running joke that no matter how many times they might remind me if it’s not in my google calendar I won’t be there. 
   2. By keeping such a list, you make sure that your tasks are written down all in one place so you don’t forget anything important. And by prioritizing tasks, you plan the order in which you’ll do them, so that you can tell what needs your immediate attention, and what you can leave until later.
   3. As the Hall Advisor for Erdman dormitory first floor I am planning a “Done is Good To-do list” hall Hangout this Thursday December 2nd. If you are reading this and would like to join shoot me an email at achoudhry@brynmawr.edu

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Done is good, It’s a Bryn Mawr mantra you’ll hear thrown around a lot especially during finals week. It essentially means that once something is done, it is good to go. There is nothing else you can do about it, there is no sense in worrying or stressing. At the end of the day, it’s important to get what is needed DONE.

To commemorate the end of the semester, and to stay organized, it’s a Bryn Mawr tradition for students to create “done is good” lists that outline finals and anything else that needs to get done before the end of the semester. Once each task is done, students can cross off that task and reward themselves with a piece of candy.

https://www.facebook.com/BMCadmissions/posts/done-is-good-youll-hear-this-motto-a-lot-around-campus-this-time-of-year-the-ide/1835235459936078/

(done is good Art Inspo)

1. Reward yourself
   1. Which brings me to my next point: Don’t forget to treat yourself once finals are over!

Make plans with friends to do something that brings you all joy so that you all have something to look forward to. Plan these rewards before finals week to help you stay motivated and give you something to look forward to. I will be going on a hike and then getting dressed up and going out to dinner in Philly with my group of friends to commemorate the end of our semester.

1. Take Time out
   1. Another important rule is to carve out some “me time”

Certainly it is expected that you devote a large amount of your time to studying and doing schoolwork during the last couple weeks of the semester, but you also need to make sure to keep a degree of balance. If you work yourself constantly without sleep or taking a break, your energy will run low and you won’t study as effectively anyway. 

1. I personally like to schedule “me time” into my google calendar. This reserved time isn’t a slot that I can use to schedule extra meetings or to pick up an extra work shift. It is essentially a block of time that I can use as a destressor. I might use it to go for a run or take a midday nap. Sometimes “me time” might entail taking a technology hiatus and using the me time to really check in on my mental health. 

Next up on our list we have

1. Fuel your body
   1. It’s important to make sure that you are not only eating regular meals during finals week, but also that the meals you are eating are healthy. Loading up on fat and sugar can drain you of energy and make you feel sluggish and unfocused. 

This is definitely the hardest one for me. I don’t know about you guys but I am a stress eater. When I am under a lot of pressure I run straight to the snack cabinet, and my kryptonite? White cheddar smart food popcorn. I become an all consuming monster shoving fistfulls of white cheddary popcorn into my mouth. It’s funny cause my sister on the other hand, when she’s stressed she ditches all basic human necessities. She stops sleeping and stops eating. Whichever end of the spectrum you may lie on it’s important to remind yourself of the big macromolecules and to check up on your energy levels throughout the day. 

• When was the last time I ate? Have I been drinking water? These questions are important to ask yourself to ensure you have the stamina and gusto to finish the semester as strong as you started! 

Good luck to everyone going into finals week soon, you got this!!!