As we approach midterms, studying and staying motivated can become very difficult for most of us, especially those who haven’t had to do heavy and time-consuming studying yet.
Many different tips and tricks for studying are out there, some may work for you but others won’t. For some, caffeine and music keep you running, and for others, staying in the library all day is the only way to focus. Finding the right study habits and schedules will ensure that you continue to prioritize your physical, mental and social health while getting great grades!
Back to the basics
Sometimes, less is more! Study tools many of us have used since high school can still work perfectly for college-level classes with rigorous coursework.
- Flashcards are an affordable and easy way to help with memorization and understanding. Writing information by hand also helps with retaining information.
- Quizlet has always been insanely popular because it is quick and easy. However, Quizlet now requires a membership to access some of its tools.
- Luckily, there are other free options to use that are catered to college students! Knowt and Anki offer similar study methods, both with unlimited free access to AI tools that are helpful with making flashcards, embedding images and drawing on flashcards. They both also offer fun study games and tools to customize your learning!
Time management
Along with online tools that can help you study, one of the biggest things that will help balance your mental health and social life with school is time management! There have been many popular study schedule methods and these are a few of my favorites:
- Pomodoro Method: This is used to break up your study sessions into intervals of around 25 minutes of deep focus, followed by short breaks. As you increase the study time intervals, the break time also increases. This is a great tool for getting things done because seeing a timer in front of you gives an end goal, which usually helps people stay on track.
- Creating a steady plan: Using a planner benefits many students, and blocking out your time to study for certain subjects and complete certain assignments is a game changer. It makes the workload feel much more attainable!
- Methods for staying on track: Being a planner girl my whole life, I have expanded to a few new tools this semester that can be explored! Notion can be hard to navigate, but once figured out, it is an amazing tool for weekly to-do lists, daily to-do lists or even a large overview of assignments/exams at a glance! Another popular tool that has been trending on TikTok has been using Google Sheets to make a monthly or semester view of all of the assignments and exams you have coming up. Along with Sheets, Google Calendar helps balance your social life and academics.
Avoiding burnout
Even though you should focus on doing your best on your midterms, it’s important to ensure you’re taking care of yourself, too.
- Prioritize sleep over all-nighters!
- Eat healthy, high-energy foods and drinks to keep your mind strong!
- Take study breaks! Along with the Pomodoro method of studying, any study method needs 5-10 minutes between sessions to stretch, get a snack or call a friend!
you got this!
Midterms can be overwhelming, but finding the right strategies and habits will help you avoid burnout. Finding the best methods for you may take some trial and error (we’ve all been there), but remember to prioritize yourself. Take breaks, eat healthy and be well-rested for your exams.
Remember, spring break is right around the corner, and you’ll be able to relax, recharge and rest soon!