Hands cramped from typing? Brain reeling as you scramble through notebooks? ‘Tis the season, scholars! We wanted to compile the ‘2 cents’ version of a finals survival guide because even a million tips may not seem like enough. We’ve scoured the web & asked around our HQ, offering you what we hope is some solace:

1. Rest. Your brain is fried & attempting to stay up for 48 hours (& possibly over-sleeping!) is not a good look. Trust us.
2. Two heads are better than one. If your own notes or mind are blanking, find classmates. Or find someone who took the class last semester. Working together could make all the difference & possibly a new connection for the upcoming semester.
3. Fuel your body. Pizza is everything BUT maybe not the only thing that you should ingest during finals. Eat breakfast. Hydrate yourself with water. Stray from hitting the weekend party scene too hard. The last thing you need is a cold OR a wasted day of working on your projects.
4. You know more than you think. Really, you do. That’s not to say miss out on any review, but don’t give way to letting stress dictate your thoughts…take your time on the final & let your scholarly skills shine.

And by no means a side-note, this has been a tough week (year?) on a national level. We wish you a very safe finals season-if you’re staying late at the library, text a friend. Walk home safely. Ditch the headphones & be aware of what’s around you. Be careful. And now, the Internets take on finals survival:

6 Tips for Surviving Finals (via TIME)

This simple time-management technique changes lives (via FastCo)

Really cool (not too challenging) recipes (via Living Lou)

Netflix Binge Watch Guide (for a BREAK! Use sparingly) (via USA Today College)

And we always love a word from reader’s like you, let us know what works for you (& what does not!) to make it through finals week @NSCS…happy studying, scholars!