Hoo boy, it sure is time to buckle down for finals. By the time this is published, I’ll probably be crying into a cup of cocoa at the Ugly Mug. But I think we can do this together, reader. Take my hand and follow me through this article of tips I should probably pay more attention to.
Find a spot.
My good friend Science once told me that you shouldn’t study in bed, or else your brain will think you’re doing work when you try and sleep. That’s just plumb inconvenient, so find somewhere else on campus. Find an alcove at the library, or a place in a building open 24 hours. Go off campus if need be. Get a coffee. Heck, get five.
Make it fun!
I know it sounds pedantic, but seriously: do whatever you have to do to keep your own attention. If you have to write every piece of German vocabulary in different colored gel pens, do it. If having cupcake-shaped Post-It notes makes the events you list on them less daunting, use them. Buckling down to study can be unpleasant; make it as nice an experience as you can. And remember to treat yo’ self to a study break once in awhile. Wink, wink.
Alone or together?
Some people work well in groups and can focus. Some people do better alone. Some ride the line between. Know yourself, as well as your classmates and friends. You have the power to facilitate the type of environment that suits you best.
Please avoid cramming.
In a perfect world, you could jam every word of your political science notes into your long-term memory over a four-hour study period and recall it at any given time. But that is not the world we inhabit, and this is not what your brain is capable of. Brains are fickle creatures that don’t always do as they’re told. If you wait to cram everything into your head the day before your exam, you will overload. You will probably cry. If you are me, your grip on the English language will become tenuous (demonstration pictured below). Avoid at all costs.
Breaks can be good!
Avoid a study meltdown by immersing yourself into something completely unrelated to the topic you’re studying for a little bit. I recommend coming up with your own parameters for pausing your work, but I tend to treat myself with twenty minutes of down time for every solid forty minutes of work (easier said than done, given my attention span). If multitasking is your style, do some exercise and get some oxygen back to your brain!
Above all, remember that it’s all over soon and that you’re fantastic, no matter what grade you get on an exam!