As finals approach, students check their dwindling bank accounts to find they burned all of their dining dollars on Sushic, Chick-Fil-A and Starbucks. Those who spent it all said they wished they had saved properly throughout the semester after realizing they had nothing left. Now with a minimal budget, they seek creative ways to spend their money on food.

Finding the perfect study method looks different for every student, so here are three well-researched methods that are shown to promote learning and memory recall.

It’s an all too familiar time of year. As campus Christmas lights twinkle in the cold night, the bright fluorescents of Moody Memorial Library seem to echo a similar feeling of exhaustion and futility felt by its crowds of caffeine-filled students.

Handwriting notes is proven to be psychologically beneficial for memory retention and study habits. So this finals season, experts suggest closing that laptop, getting out the notebook and writing between the lines.

As a senior who has seen her fair share of finals, allow me to share my foolproof method for creating the perfect study environment that will ensure success for your first semester exams.

An ideal student-professor relationship sets clear and high expectations, but not unreasonable ones. It’s an exchange between the two — the professor teaches the student and stays available to help the student understand the material, and the student shows their adequate understanding of the information on the test. They don’t feel the need to cheat on a test because they’ve already been given the tools they need to succeed.

A study noted that burnout had a positive association with maladaptive coping strategies such as social withdrawal. Meanwhile, students with adaptive coping strategies, including social support, reported lower levels of emotional exhaustion and higher levels of academic efficacy.

Active Minds is doing events for finals such as providing food, self-care kits and activities for students to relax at Fountain Mall. There will also be a trail mix bar in the library on dead day for students to come and get a study snack.

We tend to treat endings like losses, like the last page of a favorite book or the final scene of a show. And sure, graduation feels like a big, dramatic final scene. But instead of mourning what’s over, maybe we should celebrate the little things that made it all so special: the professor who believed in you when you didn’t believe in yourself, the stranger you ran through the rain with and the late-night food runs with someone you barely knew a semester ago.

“Regular sleep, balanced meals and physical activity can make a huge difference,” he said. “Instead of relying on energy drinks, students might try switching to lower-caffeine options like tea and avoid caffeine after noon for better sleep.”

Some students believe that “yo-yo” sleeping, which is getting little sleep during the week and catching up on weekends, will balance things out. But Scullin’s research shows that inconsistent sleep patterns can throw off the body’s internal clock, which affects both academic performance and long-term health. His studies found that students who stick to regular sleep schedules perform better during finals.

While test anxiety is nothing new — and many of our parents and grandparents have similar stories of their hearts racing and palms sweating before being handed an exam — there is an alternative: final essays.

Breathing is the alpha and omega of human life. It signifies the beginning and end, and it is a big determiner of our physical and mental problems. Paying more attention to your breathing and practicing deep breathing techniques unarguably improves your sanative value.

When my friends and I are overwhelmed with work and losing motivation quickly, we like to get in the car and take a day trip. It might look like my advice is simply to run away from your problems, but that’s not it at all. Sometimes, all you need is a day of fun to get yourself motivated again and to forget about all the stress for a bit.

Finals season is rapidly approaching, and with it comes students cramming into libraries, staying up late and stressing to get all their studying done the night before a test. Here are some tips on what to do and what not to do during finals season.

How are we supposed to enjoy our break from school when we have to prepare for school during our break?

With Spring Break right around the corner, Stephenson and Eggleston said they believe rather than being a factor that affects students’ performances, the break will be a great time for students to rest and come back vibrant and ready to finish the semester.

The reports of each test said ChatGPT was able to pass the exams, but not necessarily outscore human students.

Exams take less time to prepare for and make more sense for a college student’s schedule. For me, exams show their superiority.

Some of the Lariat staff responded to the question, “How do you deal with stress during finals week?” Their answers range from finding every distraction possible to just curling up in the fetal position. We’re going to need more Kleenex.

Finals week is one of the most taxing parts of the year, but that doesn’t mean the pressure of performing well on exams has to take control of students’ lives. Self-care, which involves maintaining one’s overall health, includes managing stress.

In response to the April 4 editorial “Comprehensive finals get an F for effectiveness,” I would encourage the author of the editorial to dig deeper and consider research about the effectiveness of comprehensive exams. For instance, findings of two recent studies by Natalie Lawrence (2013) and Szpunar, McDermott, and Roediger (2007) indicate that simply preparing for cumulative finals results in improved retention of material, especially if students have already been tested on that material in a midterm examination earlier in the semester. Indeed, this “retesting” method discourages cramming for a one-time “brain dump” because the student knows that he or she will see the material again on a cumulative exam. Moreover, the repetition improves long-term retention.

I am writing to comment on “Comprehensive finals get an F for effectiveness,” published April 4, based on my 19 years of experience as a student and 43 years of experience as a professor of mechanical engineering. When I was a student, my most challenging study was done for comprehensive final exams, which most in engineering are. I am certain that my most significant learning took place putting the whole course together, and this capstone learning experience was when the concepts were finally tattooed onto my brain.

Students have been complaining about stress over tests from time immemorial. The week prior to exams, sleepless students spend time cramming to pass these tests, neglecting rest, food and personal hygiene in the quest for a good — or in some cases, merely passing — grade. In most cases, this can be chalked up to laziness.