Make sure you get enough sleep.
If you sleep more, you'll be smarter. Really! Check out this lovely post on why you should be getting eight or more hours of sleep each day. I do admit, though, that unless you're really super-efficient at studying and getting assignments done during exam time, 8+ hours of sleep every night is kind of difficult. So I'd say it's okay to let your sleep schedule slide a little for the duration of your "Hell week", but don't make it a habit. And if you're falling asleep in front of your computer screen, it's time to throw in the towel and cut your losses. You won't learn anything through osmosis - trust me, I've tried :)
Study right.
Okay, this is a big topic. Honestly, I don't think that there's only one way of studying. Everyone has their own style. For me, I have lost of styles - depending on the class, I'll study for it differently than I would for another class. So all I can say is, find what works for you. Also, one major thing that changes from highschool is that you need to start studying earlier. In highschool, I would study for my exams the night before, and that's it. In university, that's really no longer an option. For myself, I need to start studying at least two to three days before my exam. There is absolutely no way I will have time to review everything if I start studying the night before - it's just not possible for night-before cramming to work anymore! I'll cover some study tips and techniques in another post, but suffice to say, even the best study methods won't help you if you don't have enough time to cover the material.
Watch your eating.
This is another big thing that tends to slide during midterms and exams. Most people tend to forget to eat and just snack on junk food all day - which is exactly what I did during first term. I don't think I really need to talk about the results. And if you're telling yourself "Oh, that won't happen to me. I'll get so stressed I'll LOSE ten pounds!", have you actually tried it? I can count on one hand the number of people I've met that have had weight loss result from stress eating. Which is not to say that it's not possible, but either way, stress can turn healthy and balanced eating habits into dangerous and exceedingly unhealthy ones, whether you're eating too much or too little. So make sure you're eating at least two to three meals a day. If you eat dinner a little later, make sure you stop by the dining hall to pick up dinner in a take-away box before the dining hall closes. Nothing is worse than realizing at 1am that you haven't eaten dinner yet - and all the dining halls are closed for the night.
Work in groups.
I know that a lot of people are going to scoff at me for this, because it's what every professor and their TA says. But if everyone says it, they might actually have a point. Even if you're just catching up of readings or another "solo" study activity, working with other is a tremendous help. For one thing, I find that studying with others can keep me going for much longer than if I study alone - if I work by myself, I might be able to get through half of the material before I give up. However, when I study with others (even if it's just a small group of three), we'll get through all the material and then some in one night. It also helps me to "de-stress" a little, because our discussions tend to veer off-topic every twenty minutes or so - which is good, because discussing biological molecular structures at 3am had me quite close to tearing my hair out.
Midterms and exam time are hugely stressful. Just keep ahold of the things I mentioned here, and hopefully you'll get though without being too much worse for wear :)
This is fantastic! I love your tips, especially about healthy eating and group studying...these are two areas where I really struggle. I can't seem to master these concepts! Lol. And you're such a dear for linking my post. :)
ReplyDelete