By Patara Williams

Classes are over!!! Whoo-hooo! Just one more semester of undergraduate courses, and then I’m off to the real world!

We have now entered “dead days”– days designated for students to prepare for finals

So, as I sit here trying to calculate the outcomes of each of my courses, I try to avoid any feelings of angst. Yes, no more class = joy! But the fact that dead days are in effect = scary…finals begin in a mere 5 days. So, I have two options:

1. Freak out now and become consumed by my fear of inevitable tests…BAD
2. Prepare now and utilize every moment for test exam preparation (no cramming)…GOOD

Being prepared for finals is not so much about studying as it is being organized. But studying is important! I find that my finals go better when I am on top of my schedule.

So, because finals begin in T-5 days, today is a great day to get organized. Here are my To-Dos:

• Remind myself of the days and times of every final
• Do any of my finals conflict?
• If so, do my professors already know? (give them an early heads up)
• Set a bed time and a breakfast time for finals week
• Allocate rewards
• If I complete X #hours of studying, I can: 1) see a movie, 2) Have dinner with a friend, 3) Take a Nap, 4) etc.
• Start a summer countdown on my phone
• Set aside times for meditation, prayer, worship and/or Bible reading
• PRAYER DOES WORK
• Figure out where I are going to study
• Have a back up spot

Things not to do:

• Fear
• Become overwhelmed
• Squander time
• Go to sleep late
• Skip breakfast

Obviously the week of finals is a bittersweet time since it means we soon must depart from our sweet Baylor and head home away from all of our Baylor buds. But, it is also a time of rejoicing because we are reassured that the light is always shining at the end of the tunnel, though sometimes we might forget in the midst of the storm. We must hold on!

Philippians 3:14

Sic ‘Em.