I think it’s safe to say all students in their academic lives have undergone just that exact amount of stress that makes them seriously consider dropping out and moving to a tropical island. I have met students who were so behind schedule with their exams that they literally faked their graduation with friends and family. If you do not want to be one of those students, I have a few tips for you to stay on track.
There is no magic potion to alleviate all of the stress that exams and deadlines place upon us but here’s a short list of actions that might help.
- Don’t procrastinate! You have probably been told this countless times. You tell yourself it every time a new semester starts. Then friends, parties, tinder, mood swings happen and you find yourself back to square one. You are not alone, we all do it. The New York Times reports that over 80% of students describe themselves as procrastinators. We all push things to the last minute only to regret it afterwords. The trick here is to set reasonable goals, for the days/week. Doing a few hours work everyday will spare you sleepless nights when exams are actually approaching. What I have learned is to think about all the things I plan on doing “tomorrow” and push myself to do at least half of them today.
- Figure out what type of learner you are and study accordingly. It doesn’t matter how much you study if you do it inefficiently. Memorising the text book or concentrating pages and pages in a couple of nights won’t help you manage stress, neither will it secure you a good grade. According to scientists there here are 3 types of learners: visual learners, these type of learners memorise better when the information is presented in a visual way. Auditory learners, these students prefer to listen to a lecture than read written notes. Finally kinaesthetic learners or “tactile” learners who learn through experiencing or doing things. You can easily find online tests to figure out in which of these types you fit into, this not only will save you time but it will also allow to use it efficiently.
- Find a good balance between academic life and personal life. If so far this article hasn’t resonated with you because you do study in advance and you dedicate your entire time to your “student life”, you too are doing it wrong too. Being a student before anything else will eventually make your feel burned out. Finding time to cook healthy and nutritious meals, time to move your body and time for a good night sleep, won’t. 24 hours a day don’t always seem enough but it’s also down to good time management which with a bit of practice you can perfect.
- Avoid bad study habits. Just because you have a book in front of you doesn’t always mean you are learning something. Inconsistent content coverage, reading hundred of pages without understanding what they actually mean, or reading without making revision notes is what will make you fail. Try to mix things up a little, try to study with classical music in the background maybe consider the Pomodoro technique, which consists in 25 minutes of intense study followed by 5 minutes of breaks on repeat.
Finally I suggest you keep things in perspective, stop negative and irrational thoughts and start over every time you feel you need it.
Dora Abazi