Top Five:

1. After a long day of studying in your room, looking bleakly at the sun shining outside, do yourself a favor and go kayaking or canoeing on the waterfront. If there isn't that much wind blowing, it's fairly easy to take a spin out on Pearly Pond, and it doesn't cost a thing. All you need to do is exchange your ID for the equipment and you'll get it back when you return the boat. Take a few breaks when you find yourself not concentrating, since it will allow you to refocus your studying once you had a spot of fun.

2. I have a tradition of reading a fiction book during reading day so that I don't go crazy once finals start. I'm a classic bookworm, so I'll read anything I can get my hands on. If you don't have a book, and you like to read, ask around. Sometimes friends have favorite novels that they wouldn't mind letting you borrow. I know that people don't like reading books for classes, but you'll be surprised how quickly you'll finish a book you are not forced to read.

3. If book reading is not your style, try to get that blood moving by going outside and playing some tennis or a game of catch. I've even seen games of volleyball, softball, and of course, Frisbee crop up when the weather is nice. And nothing is nicer than distracting your friends from their end-of-the-year studying by dragging them outside and forcing them to play games. 4. Another fun distraction from finals is to go outside and have a barbeque. Of course, you need to use charcoal briquettes, not a gas grill, but you can grill whatever you want on the small grills. If you are an underclassman, it might be hard to get access to a grill, but chances are, if you ask some juniors or seniors, you might be able to borrow their grill. 5. Lastly, the biggest distraction of all from studying for your finals is, of course, the internet. Who doesn't spend the time they should be doing work either crawling around Facebook, Wikipedia, or just getting off topic while Google searching.? And internet games allow for even more distraction, since you don't need a gaming system to play rather addictive games. And all you need to get distracted is to have a computer with an Internet plug, or to go to one of the computer labs. Happy studying!