NORFOLK –Teachers are cracking down and finals week is approaching fast! Students have to worry about final projects and tests, credit hours, their schedule for next semester and a whole lot more. It’s not a secret that teachers and students are stressed. Christmas break is coming soon, but first teachers and students have to survive finals week, here are some tips to make it to next semester alive.

With all the projects due and tests coming up, it may be hard to keep track of everything, so write everything down. Writing down your test time, the requirements for all your assignments and when they are due is beneficial and a great way to stay organized. Organizing generally helps students be less stressed. Without being organized, everything you have to do could seem like a lot more than it really is.

Another part of organization is time management. Setting a timer for thirty minutes or an hour straight and working on a project during that time could help you stay focused. When the timer goes off, reward yourself with a break. It gives you something to look forward to when you’re done working.

It’s no secret that the majority of college students don’t get a ton of sleep. Finals week could be the most stressful time of the year for students, so not getting a full eight hours of sleep won’t help. Make sure you get plenty of sleep the week before and the week of finals.

When it comes to finals week, there are numerous amounts of different methods for “survival”. Taralyn Baum, a biology major, said “I plan on surviving finals week by making spontaneous Walmart trips for lemonade and candy.” Other students plan on hiding out in the library and studying until December 14 arrives. Northeast Community College freshman, Derek Mahoney, said “I’m not too worried about finals since I don’t have that many.” Alysan Wurdinger, a former Northeast student who is now at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, offered advice to other students, “alone time is good. Also spending the time to relax and take your mind off the stress of finals.”

There are a few ways students can take time to relax and be by themselves. One of them is “binge-watching” a show on Netflix. This gives students a way to escape their reality for a bit, which can be a big stress-reliever. Another way is going to the gym. Northeast has a new-renovated gym near the cafeteria, and another in lower-level of the Weller building.

While some students may like being alone, not all students do. So if your way of keeping stress away is attending social events, go to a Wacky Wednesday event. The semester is coming to an end, but there is still plenty to do on campus.

On Dec. 5, there is a blood drive at the Lifelong Learning Center from 9 a.m to 3 p.m. Along with the blood drive, there is also a creating and reading poetry at the library, starting at 7 p.m.

On Dec. 6, there is a basketball tailgate party in the Cox Atrium starting at 6:45 p.m. In the Lobby of Burkhardt and Simon, there will also be boards, cards, and dice students can play with starting at 7 p.m.

On Dec. 7 and 8, Northeast Community Theatre Club will be performing “Disney’s Peter and the Starcatcher”, both times at 7:30 p.m.

On Dec. 9, Northeast’s Holiday Concert is from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at the Lifelong Learning Center.

The last event the Student Activities Council is putting on is Monday Night at the movies on Dec. 10. The movie will be “Deck the Halls” starting at 9:30 p.m. at the Cox Theater.

Finals week can get stressful very fast if you are not prepared. If you take the right steps there’s a good chance you can get ahead of the game and destress your future self. You can get through this next week. Good luck on your finals.