College Journey

By: Chris the Graduate  Burnout during finals week is basically a college tradition at this point. Between trying to keep your grades up, finishing lab reports, running to work shifts, and pulling late nights in the library, it’s easy to hit a wall mentally and physically. But lately, I’ve been trying to change how I approach finals season. Instead of running myself into the ground, I’ve figured out some practical ways to stay energized and keep my focus without losing my sanity. Here’s the honest guide to avoiding burnout during finals week, written by someone who’s survived more than a few: 1. Plan Your Week, Not Your Entire Life Don’t overwhelm yourself with trying to plan out the entire month. Finals week is chaotic enough. Every Sunday night, I sit down and make a simple breakdown of the week: This keeps your mind clear and reduces that “I’m forgetting something” stress. 2. Use the 45/15 Rule Study deeply for 45 minutes. Take a 15-minute break. Repeat.This is the perfect way to avoid burnout because your brain can only absorb so much at once. Bonus: those 15-minute breaks actually help you remember more. 3. Stick to Your Morning Routine Your morning can literally decide your whole day. Even during finals, I keep the same routine: It keeps your body in rhythm, which helps your mind stay stable. 4. Don’t Sacrifice Sleep for Studying Pulling all-nighters feels productive, but the science doesn’t lie—you retain way less when you’re exhausted. Finals week studying is a marathon, not a sprint. At least 6 hours of sleep will help you stay functional. 5. Keep Eating Like a Human Being Finals week has a way of turning normal meals into chips, ramen cups, and energy drinks. Try to eat at least one real meal a day with protein. Your brain actually works better when you’re fueled right. 6. Don’t Let Small Tasks Pile Up Laundry, dishes, cleaning your desk, these little things build mental pressure. Taking 10 minutes to reset your space gives you a sense of control. A clear workspace = clearer thinking. 7. Move Your Body Even if you can’t hit the gym, get up and walk. Stretch. Do something physical. Movement releases stress, increases focus, and literally reboots your brain. 8. Have One Daily Non-Academic “Reset Activity.” This could be: As long as it isn’t hours long, it helps prevent burnout by giving your brain a small escape. 9. Permit Yourself to Slow Down You don’t need to match everyone else’s pace. If you need an hour to recharge, take it. Burnout occurs when you continually push past your limits, not when you take breaks. 10. Remember Finals Don’t Define You Your grades matter, yes. But finals week is not a measure of your worth or intelligence. You’re a student, a friend, a worker, an athlete, a leader, not just an exam taker. Staying balanced during finals isn’t about being perfect. It’s about staying steady, taking breaks, and remembering that you’re human.

By: Chris the Graduate  Finals week hits hard enough with exams, late-night study sessions, and trying to hold your GPA together, but presentations take the stress to a different level. As an engineering major who used to get nervous just introducing myself in class, I had to figure out how to stop my voice from shaking every time I stood in front of a room. Surprisingly, the thing that helped me most wasn’t studying more; it was improving my public speaking skills. Over the past couple of semesters, between being a writing tutor, a peer mentor, and speaking at fraternity events, I’ve gotten way more comfortable talking in front of people. And honestly? Those skills are clutch during finals week. Here’s how public speaking helps me stay confident, calm, and collected when presentation day comes around: 1. I Practice My “Professional Mode” Before the Presentation Public speaking taught me how to switch into a more polished version of myself on command: slower voice, clearer sentences, better posture. I practice this the day before, even if it’s just in the mirror. By the time I’m actually presenting, my brain is already in the right “mode,” so the nerves don’t hit as hard. 2. I Know How to Control the Room One of the little things they don’t teach you in class is this: when you walk up to the front, you’re in charge of the room even if it’s just for five minutes. I take a deep breath, plant my feet, and make eye contact with one person first. That tiny moment lets me feel grounded, like I’m setting the pace, not the anxiety. 3. I Use Pauses as a Tool, Not a Panic Button Before I practiced public speaking, I used to speed-talk through every slide like I was trying to finish before my nerves caught up to me. Now, I’m comfortable pausing after an important point. It makes my delivery clearer and gives me a second to reset. 4. I Always Have a “Backup Line” Ready If I forget what I was going to say, I have a simple line like:“Let me rephrase that for clarity…”or“To connect this to the next point…” You’d be shocked how professional that sounds, and it buys you a couple of seconds to find your place. 5. I Practice Using My Slides as Support Instead of a Script Public speaking taught me not to stare at the screen. I build slides that highlight key points so I can talk naturally without reading. It makes the whole presentation feel smoother and more confident. 6. I Rehearse With Real Pressure If it’s a final presentation worth a big chunk of my grade, I’ll run through it once for a friend, a roommate, or even my fraternity brothers. When you present in front of real people, you feel the nerves, and you learn to push through them before the actual day. Why This Matters During Finals Week Presentation season is stressful. But if your delivery is strong, you not only look confident, you actually feel more confident. Public speaking skills make you sound like you know what you’re talking about, even when finals week has you running on caffeine and prayers. Public speaking isn’t just something you do on a stage; it’s a tool that helps you survive college. And during finals week? It’s one of the best tools you can have.

By: Chris the Graduate  Engineering finals hit harder than most, whether it’s thermodynamics, physics, calculus, or material science, the workload doesn’t play around. Over time, I’ve figured out some study habits that actually make a difference during finals week, especially for STEM-heavy classes. Here are the top five engineering study hacks that have consistently helped me get through some of the toughest exams: 1. The “Teach It to a Five-Year-Old” Rule If you can’t explain a concept simply, you don’t really understand it.Before an exam, I try to explain the main ideas out loud like I’m teaching a kid: This exposes the gaps in your understanding instantly. 2. Build a Personalized “Equation Sheet” (Even If You Can’t Use One) Most engineering students collect random formulas from textbooks, slides, and homework. But what actually helps is making a clean, organized cheat sheet: Even when professors don’t allow cheat sheets, making one boosts memory because you’re processing the information in your own words. 3. Practice Problems → THEN the Notes (Not the Other Way Around) Most students study by reading notes first. It feels productive, but engineering exams are built on problem-solving, not memorization.So instead: This avoids passive studying and forces your brain into “application mode.” 4. Use the “Three-Level Practice” Method Break practice problems into levels: Jumping straight into exam-level questions without warming up can crush your confidence. Progressing through levels builds momentum. 5. Study in Short, Intense Sessions Engineering content is heavy. Long sessions make your brain check out.Try studying like this: You’ll retain more and burn out less. Bonus Hack: Study the Mistakes, Not Just the Material When you get something wrong, don’t just fix it, figure out why you got it wrong: Understanding your mistakes is twice as valuable as getting something right.

By: Chris the Graduate  I’ll be real with you, studying was never something I took seriously when I first got to college. I used to be the type of student who walked into class half-awake, scribbled a few notes I knew I wouldn’t look at later, and somehow expected things to work out when the test came. And honestly, that worked for a while, until it didn’t. Eventually, the classes got harder, the material stacked up, and reality hit me: college isn’t something you can coast through forever. Once I accepted that, I started building better study habits, not the aesthetic, color-coded, perfect habits you see on TikTok, but real ones that fit the way I learn. The first habit was switching to short, focused study sessions instead of forcing myself into long hours. Twenty to thirty minutes of real focus, with a five-minute break in between, keeps me from burning out and helps me stay consistent. I also started doing quick note reviews right after class. Even ten minutes helps keep everything fresh, so I’m not confused weeks later. The biggest thing that changed how I study was active recall. Rereading your notes might feel productive, but it doesn’t stick. Testing yourself with flashcards, practice problems, or talking the content through out loud forces your brain to work. It changed everything for me. I also stopped being scared of office hours. Sitting down one-on-one with a professor is honestly the fastest way to understand something that seemed impossible. Another thing that helped was figuring out where I study best. Some people thrive in quiet spaces; others need background noise. I experiment depending on my mood. And last but not least, I learned to stop studying once my brain checks out. There’s no point forcing it, and rest is part of staying productive. These habits aren’t perfect or fancy, but they’re real and they’re what helped me go from winging it to actually learning and keeping my sanity in the process.

By: Chris the Graduate  Time management in college is one of those things everyone tells you to work on, but nobody explains how to do it without overwhelming yourself. When I finally tried to make a schedule, I ended up overplanning everything and feeling trapped by my own routine. What I needed wasn’t a strict hour-by-hour plan; I needed structure without losing my freedom. I started by listing my non-negotiables: classes, work shifts, labs, fraternity meetings, and any other commitments that I absolutely had to attend. Once those were in place, I added study blocks in spots that felt natural. I like studying between classes or early in the morning, so that’s where I place most of my heavy work. If you try to force yourself to study at a time when you know you’re low-energy, the schedule will fall apart fast. The next thing I learned was to leave room for real life. You’re not supposed to grind 24/7. You need breaks, gym time, meals, social time, and days when you literally just reset. College gets miserable when all you do is work, so I intentionally build free space into my week. It helps me stay balanced, and weirdly, it makes me more productive overall. Color-coding my schedule was a game-changer, too. When school, work, gym, and social activities each have their own color, everything becomes clearer and less stressful to look at. But the most important rule is flexibility. A good schedule should guide you, not control you. Things change every week, so I always do a Sunday reset. I adjust assignments, plan out what’s coming, and set goals for the week. It keeps everything organized without ever feeling like I’m locked into something I can’t change. Having a schedule isn’t about being perfect; it’s about making your life easier. Once you build one that fits your lifestyle instead of restricting it, everything else in college starts falling into place.

By: Chris the Graduate  One of the biggest lessons college taught me is that trying to handle everything alone is exhausting. You need people not just for fun, but for your mental health, your motivation, and your academic success. A support circle isn’t some cliché idea; it’s something that genuinely changes your college experience. Your friends are the core of that circle. When you surround yourself with people who care about their classes, goals, and growth, it naturally pushes you to stay focused too. Having someone to study with, someone who reminds you of deadlines, or even someone to vent to after a long day makes a huge difference. College becomes a lot less stressful when you’re not carrying everything alone. Professors are another part of your support system. A lot of students never talk to them outside of class, but building even a small connection helps more than you’d ever expect. They can explain confusing topics, help you understand what really matters in the coursework, and even guide you toward internships, recommendations, or research opportunities. Joining organizations, clubs, or fraternities is another way to build your circle. Being involved in something gives you a sense of belonging and puts you around people who want to grow, too. My own involvement taught me leadership, communication, and confidence, all things that helped me become a better student. Mentors are also huge, whether they’re older students, professors, or someone who’s been in your shoes. Having someone who already survived the classes you’re taking or the challenges you’re facing makes everything feel less intimidating. But support isn’t a one-way street. You have to show up for your circle to encourage your friends, help when you can, and celebrate their wins. At the end of the day, college is a lot easier when you treat it like a team effort instead of a solo challenge. Being a great student isn’t just about grade’s about having the right people around you who lift you, guide you, and help you grow into the best version of yourself.

By: Chris the Graduate  When people talk about success, they often focus on big achievements, graduating from college, starting a business, or reaching financial independence. But the truth is, the foundation of those big wins usually comes from something much smaller: daily habits and realistic goals. Setting small goals might not sound as exciting as chasing big dreams, but it’s one of the most effective ways to grow, stay motivated, and actually reach those larger milestones. Why Small Goals Matter Big goals can feel overwhelming. For example, saying “I want to get straight A’s this semester” might feel impossible when you’re looking at all your assignments, exams, and projects. But breaking it down into smaller goals like “I’ll review my notes for 15 minutes after class every day” makes the process less intimidating and more achievable. Small goals also give you consistent wins to celebrate. Each time you accomplish one, you gain confidence that motivates you to keep going. Over time, this momentum pushes you closer to your big-picture dreams. Examples of Small, Powerful Goals None of these take much time, but each one adds up to better health, focus, and personal growth. The Snowball Effect One of the best things about small goals is that they stack. Drinking more water leads to feeling healthier. Daily walks improve energy and focus. Studying consistently boosts grades. Each small action builds momentum, which eventually grows into a lifestyle shift. Final Thoughts Small goals are the secret weapon of long-term growth. Instead of waiting for a big breakthrough, focus on little daily actions you can control. They’re easier to start, easier to maintain, and much more rewarding in the long run. Ask yourself today: What’s one small goal I can set right now? Chances are, it’ll be the first step toward something much bigger.