As a junior pharmacy major, studying and doing work is basically my life. However, all college students need to sit down and lock-in at some point, regardless of their major or year. These past two years at college allowed me to fine-tune some of my different studying methods and ways that I hype myself up to study in the first place. Here are my tips and tricks to locking-in this school year.
Find a good study spot
This sounds basic, but a good study spot can really make or break your work session. If the area is too loud, it’s easier to get distracted. If the area is too quiet, then it feels awkward if your rustling pages or enjoying a quick snack. The overall environment can make a huge difference. Personally, I like to study in areas with minimal foot traffic and lots of natural lighting. My usual go to spots are the pharmacy library — the whole area is basically a quiet study zone — and the fourth-floor atrium in the pharmacy building. Both have massive windows, which bring a lot of natural light and some pretty views when you need a quick (but minor) distraction. Usually when I study it’s for long periods of time, so sometimes I will find a spot inside the Student Union or Science One. These areas can be tricky, though, as lots of people tend to sit there and chat. These don’t have to become your favorite spots. The most important thing is that you prioritize what’s important to you when you’re studying and find an area that meets those needs.
Use different study methods
There are so many ways to study, but not all of them are effective. What works for someone else might not work for you, so it’s important to establish how you can successfully learn the material. With so many different methods out there, it can be hard to choose just one, so I like to use a combination to be successful in all my classes. I am always making Quizlets or similar study sets because I find that writing the material out helps me start the studying process. Then, I switch over to active recall. When using this method, I typically review a concept or topic for twenty minutes, take a short five-minute break, then write down everything I can remember about the concept I just studied. Once I write everything down, I cross check the information with my notes for accuracy. This is also a great way to figure out what areas I am still struggling on and what I need to review. Another more recent strategy that I’ve picked up on is making summary tables or mind maps. These are super useful if you need to find connections between different topics. I also think it’s easy to get creative with these in terms of color-coding and format.
Create a hype playlist
Some people like to study with music, but I have found that I end up more distracted than focused. Therefore, I like to listen to a handful of songs before I start my study session. The songs I pick are ones that get me hyped up, think something you would hear on a sport team’s warmup playlist. While the repertoire of songs changes, I have a few constants. Since it blew up on TikTok, “Nokia” by Drake is one of my favorite pre-study songs. I don’t really have a good reason aside from gaslighting myself that studying is the function, but if it works it works. Another personal favorite is “Wait For It” from Hamilton. Nothing makes me want to lock-in more than Leslie Odom Jr. singing about waiting for his chance to rise to the top. I also always think of the different TikTok edits to this song and imagine what clips people would use if they made one for me (on that study grind, obviously). There are other songs that move in and out of the rotation, but I am always listening to these two before each study session.
At the end of the day, studying is only as fun or useful as you make it. If each study session moves slower than a snail, then of course it is going to be harder to study. If you find something that you can enjoy about each study session, however, then it can make managing your workload a whole lot easier. So next time you need to study, blast some Drake, pick a fun highlighter and sit in a scenic spot on campus. That might just do the trick.