2008 Woodie Awards
All Of The Necessary Ingredients For A Successful And Safe Finals Week
Emily Abbate
Issue date: 5/1/08 Section: Focus
Finals are here. The one week that a majority of UConn students dread all semester is approaching. Whether you have two finals four days apart, or six finals on five consecutive days, here are a few key "ingredients" to a successful finals week.
Sleep
It's contradictory to say the slightest. Finals week begins and many students automatically begin to pull all-nighters, day after day, without a clue how damaging it is to the body. The recommended amount of sleep, according to webmd.com, is eight hours. However, the quality of sleep is also a factor, whether or not you are comfortable and feel relaxed upon awakening.
"People who say they only need five hours of sleep, usually only think they need five hours," said Daniel McNally, the Medical Director of Sleep Disorders at the UConn Health Center. "Someone functioning on five hours of sleep is equivalent to someone functioning after having two alcoholic beverages."
So the question remains, how do you get all that studying in without making the typical 16-hour-or-so day into a 24-hour academic fiesta? Get to bed early and wake up earlier. By waking up at 8 a.m. and getting to bed at 11 p.m., those nine hours of sleep can prepare you for a long, productive day of work.
To-Do Lists
At first, they can be scary and overwhelming. A list comprised of 30 items that you need to get done between now and next Thursday is not exactly appealing.
However, checking items off on a to-do list is therapeutic and allows individuals to see the amount of progress they are actually making.
"I don't know what I would do without my organizer on a day-to-day basis, forget finals," said Sarah Hannon, a 2nd-semester undecided major. "I spend so much time in the library - without to-do lists I think I'd be so unproductive."
For some individuals, a to-do list can seem overwhelming. Litemind.com suggests making a "Will-Do" list instead.
"[These are] tasks that you will do the next day: not tasks that you want to do, or tasks that you think you might do - but tasks that you wholeheartedly commit to do," according to the Web site. "Replace your long list of intentions with a short list of commitments."
Can't Forget Food
Students need nutrition, and finals week is absolutely no exception. Granted that long hours combined with the library warrant a set-up process akin to camping out for days at a time, getting out of your cubicle is important. And UConn appreciates this as well, with the concept of Midnight Breakfast, starting Sunday evening at 10:30 the night before finals.
"I really like food," said Trevor Doyon, an 8th-semester political science and communications double major. "And before I study I have to eat, otherwise I really can't focus. And if I can't focus, then I just feel like I'm wasting my time."
The most important of all is fueling the brain early in the morning.
"The brain is best fueled by a steady supply of glucose," according to newscientist.com. "Many studies have shown that skipping breakfast reduces people's performance at school and at work."
Contact Emily Abbate at
Emily.Abbate@UConn.edu.
Sleep
It's contradictory to say the slightest. Finals week begins and many students automatically begin to pull all-nighters, day after day, without a clue how damaging it is to the body. The recommended amount of sleep, according to webmd.com, is eight hours. However, the quality of sleep is also a factor, whether or not you are comfortable and feel relaxed upon awakening.
"People who say they only need five hours of sleep, usually only think they need five hours," said Daniel McNally, the Medical Director of Sleep Disorders at the UConn Health Center. "Someone functioning on five hours of sleep is equivalent to someone functioning after having two alcoholic beverages."
So the question remains, how do you get all that studying in without making the typical 16-hour-or-so day into a 24-hour academic fiesta? Get to bed early and wake up earlier. By waking up at 8 a.m. and getting to bed at 11 p.m., those nine hours of sleep can prepare you for a long, productive day of work.
To-Do Lists
At first, they can be scary and overwhelming. A list comprised of 30 items that you need to get done between now and next Thursday is not exactly appealing.
However, checking items off on a to-do list is therapeutic and allows individuals to see the amount of progress they are actually making.
"I don't know what I would do without my organizer on a day-to-day basis, forget finals," said Sarah Hannon, a 2nd-semester undecided major. "I spend so much time in the library - without to-do lists I think I'd be so unproductive."
For some individuals, a to-do list can seem overwhelming. Litemind.com suggests making a "Will-Do" list instead.
"[These are] tasks that you will do the next day: not tasks that you want to do, or tasks that you think you might do - but tasks that you wholeheartedly commit to do," according to the Web site. "Replace your long list of intentions with a short list of commitments."
Can't Forget Food
Students need nutrition, and finals week is absolutely no exception. Granted that long hours combined with the library warrant a set-up process akin to camping out for days at a time, getting out of your cubicle is important. And UConn appreciates this as well, with the concept of Midnight Breakfast, starting Sunday evening at 10:30 the night before finals.
"I really like food," said Trevor Doyon, an 8th-semester political science and communications double major. "And before I study I have to eat, otherwise I really can't focus. And if I can't focus, then I just feel like I'm wasting my time."
The most important of all is fueling the brain early in the morning.
"The brain is best fueled by a steady supply of glucose," according to newscientist.com. "Many studies have shown that skipping breakfast reduces people's performance at school and at work."
Contact Emily Abbate at
Emily.Abbate@UConn.edu.
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