Finals season is still plaguing me, but I have been pleasantly surprised at how efficient I’ve been these past couple of days. Normally, I find myself stressed from spending every waking hour studying. However, this semester I’ve done a couple of things differently to make the week easier on myself.
- Prioritizing academics
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With the limited time I have to study (three exams in four days), I will not be found running at the gym because the process of deciding I’m going, getting out the door, and actually walking to FitRec takes up like two hours of my day.
To prioritize my education, I won’t be seeing a treadmill until I see my last blue book. I consider this adapting as I go, which I believe is a win.
- Finding new Study spots
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My absolute favorite part of studying is finding new places to work. My top two spots are the Boston Public Library and Capital One Café on Boylston Street, where I have been frequenting these past couple of days. I just love sitting in the Bates Room at the BPL. But when I have time, I look for new cafés or spaces that look good for studying. It always makes me feel studious to bring all my books into a café and lock in.
I think one of my best trips was studying in L.A. Burdick and drinking one of their hot chocolates. I might’ve gotten through five chapters of work in three hours. Oh my god, I need to go before I leave.
- Fueling up
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I would’ve never known that I liked Red Bull if my international relations class had not kept me up at night reviewing. Look at me, counting all my blessings.
To put it mildly, I draw no lines during finals week. All inhibitions are lost—I’ll go to a CityCo and drain my dining dollars on study snacks. Anything that can resemble a reward for getting some work done will be leaving with me and fueling a good couple of hours of work.
I don’t care if an energy drink has the most diabolical, made-up-sounding ingredients I’ve ever seen—I will be energized!
This list is not that long, but understanding what helps me study the easiest has to be one of the best skills I’ve gotten out of my first year of college. Knowing the formula for how I function best during study periods helps me plan accordingly for my classes and feel good while finishing out the semester.
I’m glad I have these down, but now I just have to work on not staying up all night cramming for a test, and not procrastinating enough to permit that. As you can probably tell, I have my work cut out for me.
I can’t wait to come back and do it all again.
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