Ah, fall. It’s everyone’s favourite time of year: the leaves are colourful, the air is crisp, fall drinks are back, and we’re all rewatching Gilmore Girls. But while we’re trying to enjoy our pumpkin and chai flavoured everything, in comes midterm season—the dreaded evaluation of our first few weeks of classes, just as fall was starting to settle in.
But have no fear, Rory Gilmore is here! I’ve realized upon rewatching many episodes of Gilmore Girls that Rory’s academic success doesn’t just appear out of nowhere. She genuinely has some great tips and tricks to staying on top of your classes, which we all desperately need as that mid-semester slump sets in. Here are the best ones that I’ve found:
1. Define your goals
Whether your goal is Harvard, Yale, Chilton, or just getting through the week, Rory teaches us to never underestimate the power of goal-setting. This is more of a general tip, but it’s the key to getting motivated and, more importantly, staying motivated. Figure out what you want and need to get done, and the outcome you want from it. With something clear to work towards, setting goals will help keep you on the right track. Any kind of to-do list or mood board will work—and the best part is, you can make it as cute as you want.
2. don’t be afraid to read
Reading can be a scary thing to get into for the first time. If you’re already an avid reader, great—keep it up! But for those of us who are former bookworms or who are just wanting to test the waters, PICK UP A BOOK! The key to handling all those readings you’re putting off for your philosophy class is to turn reading into a pleasurable activity. Once you crack into a couple of good books and really appreciate all that reading does for your brain, you’ll get into your academic readings and absorb the information much easier. There’s a reason Rory is seen with over 400 books throughout the whole show!
3. Organize your life
You know how they say diamonds are a girl’s best friend? Scratch that. The new and better answer is calendar. A reliable calendar with your entire life in it is your new best friend. If you put every meeting, class, assignment, doctor’s appointment, gym session, study session, walk in the park, and everything else in an easily-accessible calendar, you will feel a sense of control like you’ve never felt before. Rory is all about sticking to a schedule, and that’s because a schedule DELIVERS. For midterms, organizing your study time is essential to walking into an exam room feeling confident about what you know. So, grab your laptop or your cute planner, and organize your life.
4. Break up your TOPICS
We’ve all felt that demoralizing one-subject-for-way-too-long-my-brain-is-dying-I-can’t-do-this-anymore burnout when studying for exams. But if you follow a solid study schedule and start early, you’ll have the freedom to follow one of Rory’s more precise study tips. When you’re in the nitty-gritty of midterms with an array of subjects overtaking your studying, it’s best to switch from topic to topic whenever something feels a little too heavy. If you’re really feeling the weight of a complicated philosophical theory, consider switching over to statistics. Changing it up to tackle something else on your list will let you ease off the gas pedal in your brain and help you retain more in the long run.
5. Make time for fun
I get it, you’re in “academic weapon” mode which involves you isolating yourself in your study space to get as much material covered as you can. That’s great, but pretty soon this 10 pounder will start to feel like 50 if you don’t put it down once in a while. As much as Rory Gilmore is the ultimate academic beast, she also makes time to do the things she loves with the people she loves. Taking a step back from work is like giving your brain an “everything shower”. You now get to approach your work with a fresh take, and your brain will thank you.
Channel your inner Gilmore with these study tips this fall! I hope these tips help motivate you and inspire you to enter your studious era.