With winter break just around the corner, we can almost
smell the holiday treats that are waiting for us! While being in the home stretch is an amazing
feeling, with that comes the most dreadful time of year- FINALS. Here are some study hacks that will help you
ace your exams:
1. JAZZ
UP YOUR NOTES
This may sound silly, but highlighting/color coding your
notes can be all it takes to make studying a little bit easier. I love to highlight my notes in different
colors! This helps me keep things
organized (not to mention it makes my notes prettier).
2. DON’T WAIT UNTIL THE NIGHT BEFORE TO STUDY
Cramming for a test is one of the worst things you can
do! Even researchers have found that
waiting until the night before to study will not benefit you as much- it’s
called Cognitive Overload. Make sure you
pace yourself and do a little bit at a time.
The end result will be beautiful!
3. FIND AN OUTLET
I get it- we are in graduate school; we barely have time to
take a break! But, it is important to
give your mind and body a chance to decompress for a little bit each day. I have found that going to the gym for even
just a half hour a day makes all the difference in the world. After a good workout, I am ready and more
focused to pound the pavements with my studying!
4. MAKE ACRONYMS
This is by far one of my best study hacks this semester. In my classes, we have lots of definitions
thrown at us at once. It can be a lot to
handle! I’ve learned that by coming up
with creative acronyms, the terms stick better in my brain! And the best part is, they don’t need to make
sense! As long as it helps you remember
the information, that’s all that matters.
5. FORM STUDY GROUPS
Study groups can also be helpful when preparing for an
exam. When you work with your peers,
you all bring different bits of information together. You may not understand a specific concept,
but maybe one of your classmates does!
Remember that we are all in this together, so we might as well help each
other out. Team work makes the dream
work!
6. LISTEN TO MUSIC WHEN YOU STUDY
I used to never be able to study with music on in the
background (I would usually end up getting distracted and start to sing along
to it). My friend told me to try
listening to instrumental music instead, and let me tell you- it is
amazing! I am much more productive with
a little bit of tunes in the background now.
Check out Pandora’s instrumental stations and I promise you won’t be
disappointed.
Hopefully these tips will make finals not as tough this
semester! Only two weeks left, we got
this!
-Laura :)
-Laura :)
