With winter break approaching quickly, students begin to anticipate all the excitement of Christmas; no homework, sleeping in till the afternoon and much more. The only downside is that the obstacle of finals pushes its way into your life and drags you down the path of stress, studying and sleeplessness.

“I really try not to let the pressure of finals get in my way,” sophomore Dalyce Cox said.  “I like to just think of it as a really big test. The only thing I worry about is getting enough sleep and if I am going to fail.”

Keeping mental health and physical health positive can help with focus, determination and positivity. Five tips for keeping yourself healthy during finals are:

1. Eat a healthy breakfast- It will keep your stomach satisfied and not grumbling
2. Get some sleep- At least 7 hours will help you be wide awake and alert
3. Dress to impress- Dress up more than usual to feel confident about yourself
4. Take a couple breaks- Refresh your head and let your brain rest for a bit
5. Don’t panic- Panicking takes away your focus and energy

“To help me study for finals, I study for 30 minutes then take a 10 min break and just repeat the cycle so my brain gets breaks,” senior Mandy Heutel said.

Here are some helpful study tips and tricks so you can be successful in all your finals:

1. Start by finding out what you need to get on the finals by adding together your first and second quarter grades then multiply the total by two. Depending on what grade you want to achieve, subtract 450 from the total for an A, 400 for B, 350 for C, 300 for D, 250 for F. Example: If I had an 85.09 percent for the first quarter and an 86.63 percent for the second quarter, then I would add them together to get a total for 171.72, then I would multiply the sum by two which would be 343.44. Let’s say I want a B, I would subtract that number from 400. I would need to get a 56% on my final to achieve a B in the class.
2. Stay Organized- Get different colored flashcards for each class,
3. Use different colored pens when writing information or facts
4. Quiz yourself and have peers quiz you- saying it out loud helps
5. Give yourself a reward- “If I finish this practice quiz and miss less than 10 questions, then I can take a 5-minute break.”

“I like to get together with friends and go somewhere,” said junior Hailey Jenkins. “Nothing can distract us and we can help each other out with each final we have.”

Finals will be on Dec 19-21 and the schedule is:

Dec. 19 (Full Day): Hours 1, 2 and 7

Dec. 20 (Half Day): Hours 3 and 4

Dec. 21 (Half Day): Hours 5 and 6