Midterms are coming up, and you know what that means: studying.
“Do I have to?” You’re asking me now.
Well, no, you don’t have to, but if you don’t I can’t guarantee you’ll keep that super cool merit scholarship that a lot of Hope students get.
So I’d highly suggest it. Now you’re probably wondering where to even start… (You know what they say: If you give a mouse a cookie…)
I’d start here, at step one: Put your phone away.
Your phone is all sorts of distractions that you don’t want. Turn it off, put it on silent, lock it in a safe, don’t touch it ’till you’re done.
Now that you can stay properly focused, step two: Make an agenda.
Gosh, I love lists. Who doesn’t? For this step you should break down your study load (assuming you aren’t cramming for this test) so that you have enough time to study each chapter/lesson/whatever. For example, if I have an exam that covers eight chapters: I’ll take five days, use the first four to study two chapters each, and leave the last one to do a final review. In my own experience this gives me adequate time to know each chapter and I end up doing pretty well.
Now that you have your game plan, step three: Use your resources and materials wisely.
There are so many ways to study in college. Often times teachers will make study guides for you to fill in, use those. Sometimes with online books you have online quizzes and flashcards, use those. Use your notes and your teachers powerpoints (which are often on the Hope Moodle page). Anything that you have: USE IT. It’s helpful to study from multiple different platforms instead of just staring at your pages of notes the whole time.
*Yawn* – Wow, you sure have been studying for a while, haven’t you? Let’s hit up step four: Take a break.
I like to allow myself an hour for this, but sometimes you just don’t have that kind of time. Use this to go to the gym, watch a few Netflix episodes, hang out with a few friends, get dinner, have a snack, read a book for you own enjoyment, etc. We all know that studying for too long can make your brain even more mushy than it was before you started ingesting information.
When you’re feeling refreshed, go ahead and hit the books again. However, don’t ignore step five: Sleeping and eating.
Make sure you go to bed on time the few nights leading up to a test. But Brooke, this is college – I’m supposed to be staying up all night cramming for tests and shoving ramen noodles down my throat. To which I respond: this isn’t a TV show or some college simulation iPhone app, this is real life. You’re going to need sleep and you’re going to need the right kinds of foods in your body to stay healthy.
Sorry for playing mom, but someone’s got to do it.
I hope this helps you on your future studying endeavors! Thanks for reading!
If you have any questions for me you can contact me at brookelyn.wharton@hope.edu, through Hope on Facebook, or my twitter @hopebrooke18! I’d love to answer them!