To some, finals may seem like a one-way trip to a short drop and a sudden stop. Fashion is the last thing on many students’ minds. Here are a fashionista’s tips for tackling exams:

While studying, it is perfectly acceptable to care less and to be comfortable. I am a studious person, probably logging about 15 hours a week. When I am in study mode, a certain outfit has awarded me a nickname.

I believe it started subconsciously. It just so happened that every piece of comfy clothing I owned was made out of gray sweatshirt material. Not giving it a second thought, I would throw on a sweatshirt, sweat pants and slippers, all coincidentally gray, and go about my business.

This mass of gray fabric lurking around Regents Hall became known affectionately as the “Gray Sweatshirt Monster,” which resided in the study cave (a.k.a. my dorm room).

Gray sweatshirt monster has become a way of life. My gray sweatshirt collection has grown since the monster’s early days and is now a routine. I suggest that you find the thing that you are most comfortable in and make it a habit.

While it is important to be comfortable while studying, go to tests in normal clothing, not pajamas.

You will be more awake if you are not in clothes you have become accustomed to sleeping in. If you roll straight out of bed and right into your exam room, you will not be in the right frame of mind to focus on a test. You will probably also smell.

Taking the time for a shower, to put on normal clothes and apply basic makeup will give your brain the time it needs to reboot and operate to full capacity. My morning routine takes 35 minutes, something I am quite proud of.

If you are strapped for time in the morning, planning outfits the night before will reduce stress.

Having four cumulative finals can make a girl want to rip her hair out. When I get nervous, I have the nasty habit of picking at my cuticles. The only way I can quell my nervous energy is to fiddle with something in my hands.

This is a perfect opportunity to accessorize. The child in me mediates that I cannot spend money on an accessory that can’t also double as a toy. Because of this, most every day I have rings, a dangly necklace or jingly earrings that I can mindlessly fuss with to keep focused.

Everyone wants to throttle the person in the back of the room obsessively clicking their pen or making other annoying noises, so don’t be that girl. If your personal stress reducer makes an obnoxious amount of noise, I do not suggest bringing it to an exam. If this is the case, I suggest investing in something like a stress ball that is silent, yet oh-so-satisfying.

On testing days, I always try to dress up. If you look good, you will feel good. Adopting this mentality can affect every aspect of your life, including test-taking confidence.

And look on the bright side; if you fail your exams (which I hope no one will) at least you looked good doing it.