Hey Ya’ll,

Alex here! Well it’s that time again – Final Exams. For us students, this can be one of the most stressful times of the year. Why? These exams are usually worth a HUGE percentage of our total grade and will make or break our overall success in the class – eh, no pressure. Every semester it’s the same thing, sweaty palms, restless nights, and stomachaches. What’s worse is that because we get so stressed out our immune system is weakened and we get sick, and if the stress is bad enough, it could lead to ulcers. Getting sick means spending money on medicine or taking time off of work, and we broke college students can’t afford that. So this semester I’ve come up with some things to help me avoid most of the stress. Hopefully, it will help you save some energy, time, and money.

1. NO PROCRASTINATION!!!
This is a big one for me because I love waiting until the last minute. But if I can just study a little bit each day ahead of time, I can avoid the ulcers.

2. Get plenty of sleep
A big reason why we get sick is because of lack of good sleep. Getting a good night’s sleep really does help you focus better. And, I don’t know if you’ve checked out the prices on over-the-counter medicines for cold symptoms lately – but whoa!

Cold Medicine – $5.49
Nasal Decongestant – $8.49
Cough Drops – $1.99
“Decent” Tissues – $2.29
Gotta have Chicken Noodle – $1.59
Grand total = $19.85 + tax
A cold could cost you like $20.00 – That’s almost 2+ hours of work!
ps – got my pricing from www.walgreens.com

3. Make sacrifices
This is another big one. I love to hang out with friends, party, and all that fun stuff, but my grades will suffer if I don’t sacrifice a few parties for studying.

4. Eat breakfast!
This might sound like a stupid one, but you’d be surprised what a good hearty breakfast will do for your body and mind. Toast, cereal, waffles, eggs – these are all pretty inexpensive.

5. Prepare the night before
I can’t recall how many times I woke up to go to an exam and I couldn’t find anything I needed. I’ve been late to tests because I couldn’t find my calculator or keys.

Good luck to my fellow hard-working students!!! May good grades and good habits be in your future!