It’s that time of the year again when college students’ anxiety levels have reached their peak. Before we can enjoy our break, before we can throw out all the notes and homework, we have to pass your exams. You’ve procrastinated all year and your GPA is hanging on by a thread. What do you do? I’ll give you some great study tips that will help you pull off that last minute, grade saving hail mary.
Note Cards
I can’t express how much I love flashcards. They’re so fun and easy to make, something about writing out the term and definition helps you understand things better, at least that’s what my ninth-grade world history teacher loved to say. You can create and organize them any way you want. Personally, I like to color-code mine and turn into that girl you sit next to with all the multicolored pens and sharpies. Flashcards are an easy quiz tool that you can use yourself or with a friend. You can even make it into a game, my friends and I would compete and see who would get the most cards correctly in the quickest amount of time. Flashcards get you motivated to study. With exams coming up, you could use them for important definitions, so you don’t end up studying 500 flashcards.
Study Buddies
Studying for exams can really drain you and it can feel a little isolating. Studying with friends makes me feel more productive and it’s really enjoyable. Now, picking a study buddy must be done very carefully; if you study with your best friend then trust me, you’ll probably end up on TikTok. My bestie and I always say we’ll be productive, but we really just distract each other with TikTok or funny memes. I recommend finding a study buddy in your class or maybe get a study group together in your sorority, club, or dorm hall. If you work with someone from your class or maybe a big group, you’ll be able to share notes and be more collaborative.
Change of Environment
People constantly tell me to turn off my phone, hide it away, and study in a quiet environment; you’ll retain more information that way, at least that’s what all our professors say. Personally, I like a little background noise, I never used to like the cliche of studying in a cafe, but I have to say, it’s AMAZING! I can get so much work done and make organized study guides as well as those handy dandy flashcards. Something about sitting in a Starbucks with my laptop and AirPods playing light jazz, or maybe Journey, I can look over and see an array of stressed students on their third cup of coffee. Maybe it’s the sweet jazz or that first sip of my Nitro Cold Brew, but something about studying in a cafe really brings out the A+ student in me.
No matter what you take from this, just remember to give yourself a break sometimes. This is a stressful time, in more ways than one. Before we can enjoy our much-needed break, make sure to dominate your exams. I wish all of the best of luck with your finals!