Midterms have descended upon us, John Carroll! I’ve learned that once midterms start, the tests, exams, and big papers really don’t end until after finals. To help you keep your cool, look at the awesome tips below. They’re all rather selfish because they all make academics a little more fun and focused a little bit of R-n-R.
1. Eat Snacks.
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Gum is probably the best. Researchers have learned that if you study chewing grape flavored gum, for example, and then you chew grape flavored gum during your exam, your retention rates will increase. It’s one of those great sensory interconnected things.
The same thing is true with granola bars for those early 8ams and goldfish for during the day. Snacking also provides some distraction that you learn to work with. It also helps keep you motivated and energized!
Plus, snacks are delicious, especially when it’s chocolate at 3am.
2. Color
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Use crayons, colored pencils, markers, colored pens, highlighters—anything with color! Color coding things helps your retention. The colors can break things into topics and help with mental associations. This way, during your test, you’ll know where exactly in your notes or in the book you saw the information and how it’s related.
Plus, doodling during class helps focus your mind on the information which improves your retention before you even start studying!
3. Listen to Music.
We’re all been in the room with the kid who clicks a mechanical pencil the entire time. It slowly drives into your brain as you stare blankly at the exam in front of you. Something to alleviate the number of distractions you hear—like the students lingering in the hallway—is to study with a controlled distraction. Listening to music or having a movie on in the background helps you focus your attention of studying and the content instead of the distraction you created.
Great thing about it—you get to pick the music. Philosophy with a touch of Ke$ha might make Kant a bit more relatable.
4. Take Breaks.
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The most effective way to study is 10 and 30. Taking ten minute breaks after a half an hour study session leads to more effective studying. You’ll focus more during that time and feel less stressed as well.
The big thing to remember with this is to take a BREAK—not switch tasks. If you’re going to switch laundry, that’s okay. But making a to-do list of all you need to complete is not resting your brain. Call home, listen to a song, take a shower, or YouTube a new video. Time yourself and then switch subjects. With moving through subjects, you end up covering more material while also calming any anxiety.
5. Reward yourself.
Let’s be real: college is hard—especially when it comes to exam time. By pushing yourself to study, you’re going to do well and take that knowledge into the real world. That’s a ways off. Instead, watch a movie on Saturday afternoon, treat yourself to ice cream, or go out with some friends. If you so happen to get the A you wanted, don’t be afraid to call home and share the news or splurge on new nail polish when you’re out. Reap the benefits of all your work!
College is apparently the time of our lives, so don’t forget to close the books and head out every once in a while.