Festivities or Responsibilities? What if we told you that it’s possible to do it all?

Most of us love holiday season, but students also hate that the fun is inconveniently wedged right in the middle of a grueling finals period. For the really unlucky K-12 students who must wait to take their final exams after winter break, holiday season study skills become especially crucial.

Here’s our advise on how to balance holiday fun with essential study time:

1. Know your finals schedule!
   Before you commit to extra holiday parties and outings with friends, make sure to update your agenda or calendar app! Do you have any lingering pre-final exams in any of your classes? What about papers, presentations or group projects? Your final exams are most likely not scheduled during your normal class time, so make sure to move around your work or extra curricular schedule accordingly!
2. Make a (realistic) plan!
   After you double-check that your class due dates are marked in your agenda, start planning for when you need to actually start studying for each exam. If, for example, you find that you have a chemistry exam the Monday after a busy weekend, you can plan ahead and start studying the week before! This sounds simple enough, but a little bit of forethought could prevent you from bailing on your friends or family last minute in order to cram for school!
3. Incentivize yourself!
   During the holiday season, the temptation to procrastinate intensifies. Make studying seem more appealing by planning to attend your favorite coffee shop or meet up with a friend to knock out some work! Reward yourself with your favorite snack, get a fancy latte, or do whatever it takes motivate yourself and make some progress!
4. Study during commutes (and not during family gatherings).
   Let’s be honest— you probably won’t follow through with plans to study during a holiday party or while on the couch with your family. But if you find yourself traveling for holiday events, do your best to spend some time studying during your car or plane ride.
5. Find a tutor!
   Need expert help preparing for finals? For college students, we provide tutors from your university who have mastered the same classes, possibly with the same professors! Our K-12 tutors are fun, encouraging, and know how to teach material in a way that clicks! Visit www.apollotutors.org, and we’ll match you with a tutor in 24 hours or less!