It’s everyone’s favorite time of year: the sun is shining, flowers are blooming and campus feels alive again. But you can’t relax just yet.
A spectre is haunting campus — the spectre of finals.
Whether you’re an overwhelmed first-year STEM major facing four exams — been there — or a senior just itching to graduate already — not quite there yet — the weeks leading up to the end of the semester are some of the most brutal.
Unlike many other universities where students are given an allotted period of time to spend preparing for finals after the end of classes and before the beginning of exams, sometimes referred to as “reading period,” UVM prefers to set us up for failure.
We get a “reading” weekend. And a “reading” Wednesday.
And no, I’m not being facetious: UVM lists May 2, 3 and 6 as “reading days” on the official academic calendar.
Don’t worry, though. UVM might want you to fail, but the Cynic doesn’t. Here are some of our best tips to survive finals week.
Create a schedule
The first step to prepare for finals week is to figure out when and where your exams will be. It sounds obvious, but you’d be surprised.
If your professor doesn’t provide the date and location for you on the syllabus or otherwise, the fall 2025 exam assignments page has the relevant finals information for all courses. Pro tip: command F your course code to save time scrolling.
For fans of the Exam Proctoring Center, I hope you already scheduled your exams a long time ago, because the deadline to do so passed last Friday.
Don’t forget about your non-exam finals
Having less final exams doesn’t always mean less work.
An exam is an event. It has a set start time and a set end time. As much time as you spend preparing beforehand, it doesn’t change the fact that you go there, you take it and it’s over.
Projects and papers, on the other hand, are continuous. Sure, they have a set end time, but there’s no set start time.
If you’re a procrastinator like I am, the lack of structure can quickly lead to a time management crisis. Papers and projects eat into the amount of time you can spend studying for your exams.
Make sure to factor any final papers and projects into your planning, because assignments can be due anytime during finals week. Like, legitimately anytime. I once had a final paper for a class due at 5 p.m. the Monday of finals week.
Balancing final projects, papers and exams can feel like a losing battle. But don’t get too freaked out over the opportunity cost of prioritizing one over the other.
Remember, you get to choose when you start. So start early.
Indulge in simple pleasures
Motivation is key to keeping up the momentum for studying.
For some people, the fear of failure is enough to keep them locked and loaded in the library from dawn to dusk. For others, the fear of failure can be paralyzing.
Spending all day in the library while your friends are basking in the sun on the first day of 70 degree weather is more than a little depressing. Be responsible, but don’t force yourself to be miserable.
Mood has been shown to have a significant effect on productivity, with lower moods often correlating to lower performance, as found in an October 2023 study published in the International Journal of Advance Research and Innovative Ideas in Education.
Personally, while I know I’m more prone to distraction while studying with a friend, I’ve found that when I’m struggling to find motivation, body doubling can be a helpful way to get work done without isolating myself.
Taking purposeful breaks — doom-scrolling doesn’t count — from studying can increase focus and productivity, according to Cornell Health.
Lately, I’ve been enjoying taking walks around the Old North End when I need a break. Walks are an energizing excuse to kill two birds with one stone: I can get my steps in while talking to a friend on the phone, listening to music, a podcast or an audiobook without feeling guilty for betraying my studies.
Set milestones
Breaking up your studying into little tasks can help combat the feeling that studying is a monumental, never-ending effort that is too intimidating to begin.
Don’t be afraid to make yourself a sticker chart.
Working hand-in-hand with indulging in simple pleasures, setting milestones and rewarding yourself with a “simple pleasure” after their completion can make studying for finals feel more manageable and, possibly, even fun — Pavlov yourself.
Don’t sacrifice the basics
We often think of finals as a time to give up healthy habits in favor of pulling caffeine-fueled all-nighters, but deep down, we all know this method sets you up for suffering, not success.
Sleep, especially, is key to academic performance, according to an Oct. 1, 2019 study in Nature.
The study emphasized the importance of consistent routine — further evidence to not uproot your life just for finals week. Same goes for maintaining personal hygiene, eating habits and mental health — cooking, taking a shower and mindfulness can all act as purposeful breaks as well.
Ask for help
While I can write endlessly about different strategies to prepare for finals, the truth is, sometimes shit just happens.
Yes, it is good to be proactive, but all of that becomes irrelevant when you’re already in the midst of a crisis.
If you find yourself in one of these unforeseen circumstances, reach out to someone you feel comfortable talking to, as well as your professor and the appropriate Dean’s office.
As students, we don’t usually interact with the Dean’s office of our college on a day-to-day basis. It can feel disingenuous when people use “go to the Dean’s office” as a blanket piece of advice when you’re already struggling, but they are actually there to help you.
They’ll work with you to figure out a course of action. If you, the Dean’s office and the faculty agree, an incomplete might be the best course of action. More information is available on UVM’s page for final exam policies.
Remember, you don’t have to bear it alone.
