Midterm and even final exams are right around the corner for us college kids, us stressed-out, trying-not-to-fail, college kids. So much fun, right? I’m kidding (am I?) I love college, but there is quite a bit of stress around this time of year. I know I get extra anxious during these months (October, November, December) because not only do I have  SO MANY assignments coming up, but everyone wants me to come to visit them, I want to see my family, enjoy the weather outside, do holiday exclusive activities, eat all of the different treats out. I want to do all of that while I work out, internship hunt, do 5 classes of homework, cook, clean, try to blog (I am sorry by the way, I am slacking) and do all of the normal things that come with being a good student and “adulting.”

It’s damn hard, but not impossible. Here are some things you could be doing to prepare for midterm and holiday season early so that you aren’t rushing and procrastinating. You can do it all!

1. Write it all down right now.

That syllabus you never read that’s either in the deep recesses of your “downloaded” folder or crumpled in your bag? yeah, grab that. Syllabi are your best friends people. They have the grading scale, the important dates, and resources for success! Put your midterm test dates in your planner or calendar right now. That way you know when it is and how to plan accordingly in step 2. After that, copy all of the important dates for things such as Holiday parties, family gatherings, etc.

2. Plan from at least two weeks out.

I am insane so I like to start prepping for things super early. If you give yourself two weeks to prepare for an exam, you’re probably going to do amazing. Take the dates in your planner and go two weeks backward. Every free day or hours during the day you have that you are willing to dedicate to studying, do that. Read a chapter a day, outline notes a day, rewatch a lecture. However you study the best, just do that for one hour a day before the test instead of cramming the night before, I promise you’ll feel better when the day comes.

3. Don’t pull all-nighters.

I cannot stress this enough, do not stay up all night studying. You will be so foggy minded you won’t even know or remember what you stayed up for.

4. Don’t trust yourself.

I do this all of the time, and I never learned, but now I am accepting it, I don’t know everything. Can you believe it? Just kidding, but honestly, I would skip over parts of the chapters we read or parts of lectures I thought I had a good grasp on, then realize I only knew a general idea and not specifics by the time the exam rolled around and asked me for a specific. Always review everything, at least once.

5. Form a study group.

I understand it is really hard to talk to people in class sometimes and even harder to find the time to meet in person to study, but form an online study group! Create a place with your peers such as group me where you can message the group to ask for clarity or explanation on some things you might be struggling with! It is a really nice way to not only network but also get different points of view or working on a question you asked that might totally change the way you look at something and help you understand it more.

Those are the tips that I have found help me be the most successful during this time of year. Best of luck on upcoming exams and Happy Holidays!