My second set of college midterms are coming up. I believe I have either two or three midterms in the next week and I will be getting into the full swing of things balancing the crew team (rowing three times a week) and my job which has a lot of late night shifts. So, in a dramatic turn from some of my heavier posts the past two days (read: last night's angst filled post) I will post a list of necessities for mid-term survival and I will publish a mid-term survival playlist as soon as I have an ethernet cord and more than thirty minutes of time.
(1) A quiet study space
I am opposed to crowded study places like libraries or huge study lounges because I often find them to be twice as distracting. I suggest finding an empty classroom or a room in a lesser occupied building where you can go to escape from group study sessions with your friends that often end in excessive distractions and very little studying.
(2) Water and a small snack
Constantly snacking on junk food while studying is not ideal but having a small snack and water can hold you over for an extra thirty minutes before you head off to the dining hall. Hydration is supremely important; I find that if I'm dehydrated while studying, the quality of my work steadily decreases.
(3) Techno-free
If you need to use your computer, block certain websites. There is a variety of available software for this on PCs and Macs; a simple google search will teach you how to block tumblr, twitter, gmail and Facebook for as many hours as you need to. Put your phone away. This is the most important one. The moment you have your phone out is the moment you think you should text your eighth grade best friend to catch up. If you have a long distance relationship or are counseling a friend, the phone should still go away. If someone really cares about you they will understand that midterms need to beat out texting every time in terms of importance.
(4) A good playlist
If you can't study with music ignore this. But if you need a little noise, choose a playlist where you don't know any of the songs. Choose something acoustic or classical with not a lot of production noise. I like to pick songs that I don't really know the lyrics to so that I'm not belting out "Someone Like You" instead of memorizing Psychology terms. Go to the playlist I'm going to post, and that will hopefully not disappoint if you're too lazy to make one yourself. Another option is going to www.musicovery.com where you can choose a mood. Avoid energetic, unless work-out music is what you study to best.
(5) Sleep and Stay Organized
I'm cheating a little bit by combining these two, but they should be obvious. All-nighters never work. Your memory worsens the less sleep you get. It's better to study 50% of the material and remember that 50% than to "study" 75% and remember 30% of it because you didn't sleep. Keep your notes together and your books well organized so that studying will be easier. Try to keep the space you are occupying neat so that your life doesn't fall apart during mid-terms.
Stay strong fine collegiates and others who are generally using my advice to guide their academic lives.
Love,
The Overachiever Fairy
(1) A quiet study space
I am opposed to crowded study places like libraries or huge study lounges because I often find them to be twice as distracting. I suggest finding an empty classroom or a room in a lesser occupied building where you can go to escape from group study sessions with your friends that often end in excessive distractions and very little studying.
(2) Water and a small snack
Constantly snacking on junk food while studying is not ideal but having a small snack and water can hold you over for an extra thirty minutes before you head off to the dining hall. Hydration is supremely important; I find that if I'm dehydrated while studying, the quality of my work steadily decreases.
(3) Techno-free
If you need to use your computer, block certain websites. There is a variety of available software for this on PCs and Macs; a simple google search will teach you how to block tumblr, twitter, gmail and Facebook for as many hours as you need to. Put your phone away. This is the most important one. The moment you have your phone out is the moment you think you should text your eighth grade best friend to catch up. If you have a long distance relationship or are counseling a friend, the phone should still go away. If someone really cares about you they will understand that midterms need to beat out texting every time in terms of importance.
(4) A good playlist
If you can't study with music ignore this. But if you need a little noise, choose a playlist where you don't know any of the songs. Choose something acoustic or classical with not a lot of production noise. I like to pick songs that I don't really know the lyrics to so that I'm not belting out "Someone Like You" instead of memorizing Psychology terms. Go to the playlist I'm going to post, and that will hopefully not disappoint if you're too lazy to make one yourself. Another option is going to www.musicovery.com where you can choose a mood. Avoid energetic, unless work-out music is what you study to best.
(5) Sleep and Stay Organized
I'm cheating a little bit by combining these two, but they should be obvious. All-nighters never work. Your memory worsens the less sleep you get. It's better to study 50% of the material and remember that 50% than to "study" 75% and remember 30% of it because you didn't sleep. Keep your notes together and your books well organized so that studying will be easier. Try to keep the space you are occupying neat so that your life doesn't fall apart during mid-terms.
Stay strong fine collegiates and others who are generally using my advice to guide their academic lives.
Love,
The Overachiever Fairy
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