Congratulations, Niles West. We’ve almost survived half of the school year. You know what that means: finals.

As usual the seniors are checked out. But for us underclassmen, we have some work cut out for us. Here are some tips to make this weekend a bit more bearable than it normally would be.

1. If your grades aren’t where you want them to be, it’s more than likely it’s too late to change that now. Finals are your last chance to raise your grades, so make it count. Start studying now for your exams. Believe it or not, cramming half a year’s worth of material the day before the test will only exhaust and confuse you.

2. Once you start studying, take frequent breaks. They let your brain breathe, and they’re more fun than studying. You can grab ‘brain’ food like blueberries and mixed nuts, work out, or watch an episode of your favorite TV show.  Just please don’t complain to the Facebook world about how horrible finals are and don’t get too carried away. Remember that you have to come back to studying after a break.

3. Unless you intend to perform poorly on your finals, don’t study in groups. Sharing notes and exchanging answers to old tests are good ideas, but meeting at the library or at someone’s house nearly never ends successfully.

4. If possible, meet with your teachers and go over material you never really understood. It shows that you put an effort into learning the material and getting additional help. And of course you benefit by finally learning the material that you’ll need to know for your exams.

5. Dont’ forget to sleep this weekend, especially Monday night. A good night’s sleep and a nutritious morning’s breakfast is a solid way to kick off the day. If you feel good, then you’ll do good.

With all that said, good luck, Niles West.