Spring Break: that glorious week where it’s not only acceptable to have a little reckless fun, it’s practically mandatory. It’s a week where you get to forget all about your problems and let loose. But before you pack up for your adventurous week down in Cancún, you first have to get through exams. I know, what a complete buzzkill, but it’s something we have to think about.
But have no fear because I’m here to give you a few tips on making studying a bit easier.
University of South Florida graduate, Emily McPhail, says she needs to have the Harry Potter movies — starting with Chamber of Secrets — playing in the background while she studies. She also has friend that listens to the Harry Potter soundtrack while studying. This makes perfect sense because if Harry can get through Hogwarts after almost dying multiple times, having students against him still having to figure out his biological family’s secrets then surely you passing this chemistry exam is doable as well, right?
She also says she CANNOT wear jeans or pants on exam days. Even if the weather is a bit chilly outside, she must have on either a skirt or knee-length dress. She has no reason why she needs to wear either a skirt or dress on exam days; she just feels she must in order to get through the exam.
Hillsborough Community College student, Taylor Kunkle, says she turns off all electronics and reads the keywords of the text or her notes. She also says she tries to “relate the things in my notes to my life… There have been so many times where I’ll see a bio question and I’ll know the answer because somehow I related it back to my life.”
St. Petersburg College student, Jamie Freiermuht, says her go-to study buddies are notes and flashcards. She says she’ll rewrite her notes the day after a class lecture and then, the day before the test, she will make flashcards either through an app or by hand.
Florida International University student, Joanne Gordils also credits flashcards for helping her score big on exams. She will reread necessary chapters of her textbook and then take out her flashcards and read them out loud a few times each.
University of Central Florida student, An Nguyen, says she usually looks for a quiet corner in the library to study. “I will pack a bunch of snacks for the day,” she said. “Then I plug in my headphones and listen to the ‘music for concentration’ playlist on YouTube and just start reviewing the material as many times as I can.”
Nguyen also says she takes breaks in between her studying and will go out for walks or go work out. Taking breaks is very important because as much as you want to do good on the exam, you do not want to overload your brain with information. Studying without breaks can be seen as worse than not studying at all. After you’ve had a good study session reward yourself with some leisure time before hitting the books again. Another college student said she will go out to a nice dinner days before the exam to relax her mind and break up the monotony of studying.
HCC student James Dunker says he rereads over his notes multiple times until he understands everything. He also listens to music to focus on his studies. He enjoys listening to instrumental music without lyrics while studying. He will also join study groups with the people in his class. I am a big fan of study groups. Studying with at least one other classmate can really take the load off your shoulders and you may learn some things you never knew from the classmate’s notes.
A few students mentioned how they chew a piece of gum while studying. They lean more towards a stronger flavor — like a strong spearmint — while they study and they make sure to have that same flavor of gum while they take the exam. They say the strong flavor from the exam will remind them of the gum from the studying sessions and they can remember what they studied. Others do this same thing but with smells. So say if they are wearing a certain perfume or cologne while they study, they will wear that same perfume or cologne to the exam. They also say they choose a strong type so they can get a good smell of it during the exam and remember what they studied.