What Motivates You?: Various motivators that help students get through finals week

Finals season is rough. 

Most students have at least four core classes, plus elective finals to study for. If a student spends only four hours studying for each of their seven finals, they’ll spend over a full, 24-hour day preparing for seven of the most important tests of the year. 

So, how do students survive this infinitely long week of the year? 

They resist daydreaming about the holidays during their language finals, tell themselves “I just have to get a 68% on the final to get an A,” drink an unhealthy amount of energy drinks with their friends and cram in study sessions during family dinner. 

Getting a good enough grade on a final to pass classes is the reason high school students find the time to lock themselves in their rooms and study for their exams. Every day leading up to the dreaded week, I do my textbook questions, worksheets and AP classroom problem sets to help keep my straight As, but that’s no easy task. 

Depending on the class, teachers weigh their finals differently, leading students to use online grade calculators to determine what they need to get on the final to pass. 

However, students who have any hope of getting accepted to a good college shouldn’t be trying to get the minimum score that will get them a passing grade. Students should put effort into studying to do well on their finals to feel good about all the work they’ve put into their classes throughout the semester. 

Though I can’t focus after I’ve spent an hour or two rereading through my notes, trying to fill out the infinite study guide my teacher gave, I push through. I, along with many other students, aim to get at least an 89.5% in all my classes for self-fulfillment and that letter “A” on my gradebook.

I love Christmas time. I look forward to decorating all four of my Christmas trees, the bright, colorful lights lining the houses and blasting “All I Want for Christmas is You” by Mariah Carey from my Alexa for the millionth time. However, before I get to actual Christmas Day, I must get through finals. 

The second most motivating factor for students to get through finals season — according to my close friends and Instagram polls — is the prospect of winter break. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one of my peers who counted down the minutes until the 7th-hour final was over last year. 

The anticipation of finishing the test and not having to think about school for the next two weeks is what keeps me, and other students, going when stumped on a question. 

Using winter break as a reason to study can be beneficial for students, too. Studying more before their finals in exchange for not doing any schoolwork once they finish their finals. 

I like to have Christmas music quietly playing in the background while I practice my math problems, reminding myself that by the next morning, I’ll be one day closer to sleeping in without having to go to school. 

It’s early morning on a Tuesday during my math class when my teacher calls on me to come answer the problem on the whiteboard. I turn and look at my friends, asking them if they know how to graph the function. They just laugh as they walk me through the problem. 

Having friends in all my classes has been one of the best parts of this school year so far for me. 

Friends can be one of the biggest motivators during finals week. They help keep each other on track with schoolwork during what’s become the most stressful and depressing week of the school year. 

My family is also very supportive of me during finals week. Last year, I woke up to a warm Starbucks coffee my mom got me on the first morning of winter finals, making my day. 

The kind gestures friends and family do, whether it be parents offering to help quiz their kids on vocab, or friends making each other laugh, can help students stay upbeat and feel supported. 

I know I’ll get sidetracked thinking about getting to see my family who’s coming to town for Christmas during at least one of my finals this year, lifting my spirits just a little before I go back to reading the question. 

Each student has a different studying tactic for finals. Each student has a slightly different schedule than their peers. But all students can agree that there are multiple motivators that help get them through finals week. 

Thinking about the break from school, studying with their friends or even the basic goal to just get good grades can help students survive finals week.