Study zone. Bring it on, finals!
Hi everyone! It’s been a while, hasn’t it? I’ve been wrapped up in pre-finals crunch-time. Both academically and extracurricularly, there’s a whole lot going on. So many group projects to wrap up, final projects to attend, papers to finalize, exams to study for, and “end of the year (fill in the blank)”s to attend.
I realized a few days ago that I had been spending this time very differently last year than I have been this year. I know it’s not very good to compare, because comparing yourself never really gets you anywhere, but I think it’s very interesting to see how far I’ve come. More like a check in, less like a comparison.
This time last year, I was massively less busy with school work than I am this year. Obviously, right? The more you do, the harder it gets. I spent a lot of time on the green with friends, had a lot of late night Netflix marathons, and spent a lot less time worrying about my next steps.
This year, everything feels a lot different. I have exams before finals even begin, so I’ve swapped lounging outside for late nights in the library. The excitement of going home at the end of the semester has been replaced with excitement of living independently in Worcester. I’ve been handing out resumes left and right, and practicing hard for the Peapod Squad’s last show of the year.
Most importantly, I’ve changed a lot of things in my academic life. I’ve learned a lot about my learning style, how to effectively study, and how to motivate myself to get my work done, even when I really, really really don’t want to.
Maybe this sounds dumb, but before this year, I don’t think I had a firm grasp on what it truly means to study, and I think there’s still a lot to figure out. For probably 90% of students (a statistic that I just made up), no one teaches you these things. There isn’t a lesson in 5th grade on how to study for a biology test (if there is, I must have missed it, and boy did I miss out). Learning how to effectively take in information is a huge thing that’s different for everyone, and I thing I’m finally starting to figure it out.
In high school, I did a lot of my studying the night before or even the morning before a test and it always worked out. I attempted to carry this method into my college life and it failed miserably. I learned that lesson very, very quickly.
So with all of that new study-related information under my belt, and with the motivation of an absolutely incredible summer in Worcester, I’m ready to face my finals. Bring it on!