How To Study For More Than Five Minutes

Happy Hump Day Raptors! Midterms are quickly approaching. I personally struggle with procrastinating, and put off studying until the night, or even morning, before a test. Cramming really is not an effective way to study, and you end up stressed, sleep-deprived, and ill-prepared. I’m not naturally studious… I sort of have to force myself. It’s not that I don’t value my education or don’t care; I absolutely do. It’s just sometimes, you know, you get tired and would rather watch BoJack Horseman and veg out after a long day of responsibility. So, here are some tips for the reluctantly studious.

• Music
  • Listening to music is only helpful if the music has no words. Music with lyrics actually confuses your brain and makes it more difficult to study. You don’t necessarily have to listen to classical music if that’s not your dig. A few of my study go-to’s are chillstep and vaporwave/lo-fi, which have no lyrics but a more modern beat, if that’s more up your alley. (Artist recommendation: oOoOO. He’s on Spotify)
    • If you’re using Youtube, install Adblock… nothing is more infuriating than getting a good study vibe going and being interrupted by an ad for Verizon or something).
    • White noise like rainfall or a fan can be nice if music distracts you but you want to block out background noise.
• Location
  • Home – Useful because the kitchen is RIGHT THERE. If you have noisy siblings like I do, maybe not the best…
  • School – If you’re on Rockville Campus, the second and third floors of the library are perfect. The second floor is designated SILENT, which means you may feel a bit awkward about opening a Clif bar or even your own backpack, but is helpful if you forgot your earbuds and need a noiseless vacuum. The third floor is QUIET, which means you probably shouldn’t pick a fist fight (or listen to music without headphones, which will prompt ME to pick a fist fight), but you can otherwise make a little bit of noise or talk quietly with your study group.
  • Coffee place, Starbucks or otherwise – Coffee is a big motivator for me, and some prefer a little bit of background noise. I don’t like crowded places though, so I like to hit up PB’s Coffee & Dessert, located on Norbeck Rd about 10 minutes by car from Rockville Campus (Same Plaza as the Safeway and the Urban BBQ). I always get an Iced White Mocha and Fruity Pebbles Macaroon. They have free wi-fi for customers!
    

Other supplies:

-Mints – proven to help aid information retention. Bonus points if you suck on the same mints while taking the test.

-Snacks – you can’t study while hungry, and food is the eternal motivator. Chomp on some nuts or carrots and hummus! I like to give myself one Reese’s miniature for each 5 pages of textbook read/notes taken.

-Frequent breaks! Set a timer for 25 minutes and give yourself a 5 minute break. Nothing is worse than burning out before the chapter is over! Make sure you stick to 5 minutes though.

Good luck!!!