It seems that at this school, once classes end and reading period rolls around, the general mood on the campus quickly shifts. The libraries are packed at all hours of the day, the Starbucks line always goes out the door, and no one seems to be having fun anymore. This is good in a sense; we are a school filled with students serious about doing well. But it’s always so sad to see so many people stressed almost to the point of a daily breakdown.
So here’s some advice for how to study and do well, and NOT go crazy.
1. Don’t procrastinate. For the love of God, don’t do it. No matter how good it feels while you’re doing it, you will regret it later when you’re cramming your brain with biology terms, or chugging out a horridly written paper due by midnight.
2. Take study breaks. I know it seems like a terrifying idea to not be studying every waking moment, but your body and mind will thank you for it. Go sit in the sun for a bit. Go get an ice cream cone off campus. Just give yourself a little rest.
3. Ask for help. It’s so simple, but surprisingly, not many people do this when they need to. If you don’t understand your astronomy homework, go ask the TAs for help. If you are unsure how your paper sounds, go ask a friend or a writing tutor. You can be surprised by how relieved you’ll feel when you finally understand something by asking for help
4. Be reasonable. Seriously. You can’t stay up until 3 am and then wake up at 8am for a straight week and expect to feel great. In order to retain information and actually do well, your body needs sleep! All nighters every night will not help you
5. Remember: grades do not define you. Sure all A’s might ensure that you get a stellar banking job after graduation. But does any of that matter if you didn’t learn anything? The letters on your transcript only say how “well” you did on a paper or an exam, not how much you took from the class. It won’t be the end of the world if you get a C in a class. Seriously.
Now, good luck and go forth! Study hard, but not too hard.