Coffee-filled cram sessions may be a staple of some students’ repertoire, but there are alternatives to pulling the infamous “all-nighter.”

Hillard Hebda, assistant director for peer assisted learning at ACCESS, an NIU tutoring service, feels that planning and preparation are an integral part of successfully completing finals. He said cramming the day before the finals can be too much stress for students.

“The most important thing for studying any time is organization,” Hebda said. “You have to have a plan or strategy.”

Julie Schaid, director for the academic advising center, said students should properly utilize materials and services given by professors.

“You need to work from a study guide, quiz yourself for the material and take practice questions,” Schaid said. “If the professor offers study sessions, that’s definitely something you want to go to. If you [only] re-read notes, that’s not enough.”

Hebda said students can also take advantage of outside services, such as the writing and tutoring centers.

“The best way to get help would be the tutoring centers in the three residence halls: Lincoln, Grant and Douglas,” Hebda said. “For finals, the tutoring centers will be open from Sunday through Wednesday from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.”

Hebda and Schaid also said students should take care of themselves during finals week. Schaid said that students should make sure they get enough sleep and avoid staying up all night to study for their finals.

“You got to eat everyday and get enough rest,” Schaid said. “If you’re staying up late and not eating right, you’re affecting your ability to concentrate.”

Hebda said it’s just as important that students pace themselves. He said students should take frequent breaks – about every hour to every hour-and-a-half.

“Your brain gets tired, and you don’t realize it,” Hebda said. “Get something to drink; get some fresh air.”

Austin Schuetz, freshman undecided major, has a plan for how he’s going to study for his finals and has already began studying.

“I’m going to review most of my notes, and some of my teachers gave extra sources online to review,” Schuetz said. “I started Monday, and I’ll continue through finals week.”