One unfortunate thing about being in college is the silly task of studying. It is an undeniable part of taking 12, 18, or for the very brave or very far behind, 21 hours of school. Teachers seem to all have the same dates for scheduling tests and projects. They all seem to happen within the same week or, for the unlucky, on the same exact day.
Students approach this problem many different ways. Some are ultra studious and do all of the right things to prepare for an exam. Those students are the ones who sit in the front of the class and ask all the right questions. They take better notes than the professor actually gives and stay awake the full duration of class, every class. These students are usually the ones who take a few hours every night to go over the material they covered in all of their classes that day. These are the students every teacher wants to have.
The rest of us are generally hard-working, I assume. We all want good grades and when it comes down to the last minute, we are more than willing to buy a few energy drinks and tough out yet another all-nighter. We tend to walk into an exam slightly exhausted and thinking more about the nap we can’t wait to take than the material we spent the whole night looking over.
I wish I could say I was a picture of the first student, but I tend to spend my time not buried in a book. The majority of college students would probably agree with me that they are getting straight A’s in the social aspect of college and, well, maybe a little less than that in the actual academic portion of it. Most of us are good students, but not overly enthusiastic about spending every waking moment absorbing the beauty of statistics, earth science or business cal. Not a huge fan.
I’m curious to ask what method the majority of students use most often and most effectively. Obviously, if you immerse yourself in the material, you are going to make good grades, but how many of you out there cram the night before and feel like it really helps?
Some people I have talked with say this method does nothing but hurt them. A lot of students have informed me that, if they waited till the night before to prepare for a test, they know staying up all night to study is not going to help them. Most people said when they study all night they walk into the exam remembering less than what they knew before the all-nighter. Is this you?
Luckily, I don’t have this problem. Many don’t have a problem with this type of cramming. I could go a whole day without sleeping and study all night long and walk into a test feeling quite confident about the material I just spent hours jamming into my brain. Granted, I probably won’t remember half of it the next day, but that’s okay sometimes.
Wellness Education Services has a few tips for the students who chose to study in cram sessions. While studying, be sure to eat healthy snacks. First of all, no one wants to add calories to drowsiness, but these healthier snacks will give your exhausted body a little bit of healthy energy. Also, eat those snacks in breaks rather than chowing down continuously.
It’s a great idea to take physical breaks. Get up and do something; hit that second wind. I have a hula-hoop. Personally, I’ve found it to be a great way to wake myself up while studying. This will increase oxygen to your brain and blood flow.
With midterms here, it’s important we know what ways of studying best fit us. Whether you are the overachieving student who studies as he or she works or the apathetic learner who decided to wait until the night before, remember to do what is best for you.
If you’re ever up in the middle of the night pretending to look over notes, don’t worry; I’m probably up, too.
Sarah Ulmer is a junior majoring in communication. She can be contacted at [email protected].