How to Cram Like a Boss
Everyone has heard it a million times- this assignment cannot be done the night before. We all know cramming is bad, and often does not yield the results we would like, but desperate times call for desperate measures. As assignments pile up and deadlines fast approach and with final exams on the horizon it can become impossible to keep up; sometimes you cannot give everything the time it deserves and get it all done at the same time.
So here are some tips for those times where cramming is the best answer.
Go to class, but work on something else
Sometimes there are classes we take where the lectures are completely useless. You never learn anything and instead spend the entire class on facebook. Instead of completely wasting that time spend it working on assignments for other courses. This way you are making the most of that time. While some may suggest just skipping class altogether I believe there is still a benefit to going. If something important is said during a lecture, like a hint for an exam, or any changes to an assignment, you will be there to hear it. There will also be far less distractions in a lecture where you cannot wear headphones or talk to friends then wherever you were going to go instead. Also, if the class truly is a bird course many of your peers will stop going, meaning your professor is likely to notice that you do attend, which can help out in the long run. So go to class and play the role of the dedicated student, even though you will be dedicated to another class.
Pull an all-nighter, but not the night before
If you are a night owl like me, it can sometimes be very beneficial to stay up into the early hours of the morning, even all night. I have finished all of my best essays at 4am. While you can easily stay up all night before submitting a project pulling an all-nighter the day before an exam can often have just as many cons as pros. To get that prime study time as well as the benefits of a full night’s sleep before an exam move your all-nighter a day early. Last year when I mixed up the date for one of my exams I showed up a day early- while I felt like an idiot this ultimately turned out to be the greatest mistake I had ever made as I had pulled an all-nighter the night before. The ability to take a nap, review some more, and then get a full night’s sleep really aided my performance on that exam- which turned out to be one of the best I had ever written. Had I written it the morning of my all-nighter, with 0 hours sleep I guarantee I would not have done as well. When you sleep you consolidate knowledge, that nap made me remember much more than my fresh studying alone could have.
Start cramming early
This may sound counter intuitive but hear me out. Rather than wait until the night before an assignment is due to bang it out instead attempt to bang it out in one night a couple nights before. A lot of assignments can turn out to be a lot more work than you previously thought and this strategy has a built in fail-safe of more time to finish or correct the assignment after that night. By finishing a large portion of the project that little bit earlier it will be easier to finish the night before- it is a lot easier to finish a project that is half complete than that hasn’t even been started yet, and can save you from the temptation to take that 10% doc for an extra night.
Prioritize
All exams are not created equal and be sure not to treat them equally. By prioritizing your exams based on 1) how much time you need to study for them, and 2) how much time you have to study for them, you can determine which exams you should study for in a healthy, recommended way, and that you can risk cramming for two days before.
Extensions
The extension game is a dangerous game to play, as it often results from thinking only of the present and not the future, before asking for an extension consider if you are busier now or will be busier later. The current date is closer, but if you have nothing else due that week you have more time to devote to that project, while if you have 2 dues dates the next week, a week extension may do more harm than good. Is this an assignment you can cram and get out of the way early? If yes do not ask for an extension.
With these tips and tricks, you can make the most out of the little time you have.