Ever since I watched Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Hermione Granger (a.k.a. the brightest witch of her age and most awesome third of the golden trio) has been my academic inspiration. Hermione is basically #goals in every way. She always focuses on her schoolwork, balances a social life and her studies, and excels at her wizarding tests.
It may seem kind of weird to use a fictional character as inspiration for studying and doing schoolwork in college, but I think there’s a lot to learn from good ol’ Hermione.
1. Make a Plan
To the chagrin of Harry and Ron, Hermione is constantly making study schedules weeks in advance for all of her tests. In college, begin prepared for exams, tests, and assignments is key to academic success. Though it’s almost the end of the quarter, with big projects and finals soon, it’s always good to check a class’s syllabus to know what assignments are due. Planners, to-do lists, and online calendars are great places to plan out schoolwork in the big picture and come up with a plan of attack.
I’m fond of using a combined method of my planner for all assignments, evernote/journal to make daily to-do lists, and online calendars for test and quizzes so that I always know what school things are coming my way.
*For extra Hermione points: color code your classes in your planner/on your to-do list/etc
2. Go Above & Beyond
Snape calls Hermione an insufferable know-it-all throughout the Harry Potter series because she’s constantly on the pursuit of knowledge and is eager to learn the most about everything. It’s difficult to always be energized, engaged, and excited in every class. A college student can only write so many eight-page research papers before it becomes a bit of a draining academic exercise. Going above and beyond the expectations for a class is a challenge, but interacting with course material in a voluntary way outside of the classroom can make the information a lot more relevant to real life.
Try reading an article from about a recent new human ancestor discovered for an archeology class or reasearch more into newly discovered water on Mars for an astrononmy class. Sometimes finding new information about a topic can revitalize it and make it more a lot more interesting as we enter the end of the quarter slump.
*10 Points to Gryffindor if you: email your professor some of the cool information you found
3. Make Time for Friends
Even Hermione Granger makes time to get into shenanigans with her friends amongst her hours spent studying in the library. Studying 24/7 is a admirable goal, but it’s not totally attainable. Working too hard with no breaks oftentimes makes it harder to process material and remember it hours later. Fun social breaks around the UW’s campus like meeting with friends for coffee in Parnassus, hanging out in the Quad, and watching Netflix with friends in the dorms are perfect breaks in the monotony of studying. It may not be as exciting as Hermione hunting for Horcruxes or brewing Polyjuice Potion in the girl’s bathroom, but taking chill breaks will help immensley when the quarter starts to get stressful.
One horcrux destroyed if you: make Harry Potter themed goodies during a study break