By Caitlyn Pray
Staff Reporter
It happens every year—every semester actually.
At the beginning of the school year or the new year, students are rejuvenated and relaxed, ready to take on anything that the semester might throw at them and conquer every quiz, test and assignment for easy A’s in each of their classes.
At least that’s the goal, but as the semester wears on and life takes a different route, it seems we all end up in the same place: tired, mentally exhausted and packed in the library or study lounges cramming for the certain grade we need.
Sound familiar?
Each semester students also seem to fall into another rut: study techniques.
Studying is an essential part of any class, especially during finals week, but the Internet fails us by giving us some of the same tips and tricks every time. Granted, some of those tips are repeated because they do work and are secrets behind highly effective people, but this semester it may be time to switch up the regular routine and try some far-out study tips and tricks for even further ease and success.
Here are some wacky, but perhaps not-so-unhelpful study tips to switch up and lighten up your finals week studying!
- Study While Sleepy
You read that correctly! More than one source claims that studying late at night or before bed or a power nap can be the best strategy.
Taking this tip to the extreme of cramming a lot of information in at 2 a.m. the night before your 8 a.m. final is probably not the wisest choice, but studying a bit in advance and before bed may just do the trick.
The writers behind the website “The Odyssey” say that this technique proves true because the brain reinforces memories during sleep, making the information stick and hopefully popping the answers to mind when it’s test time.
- Fast Forward
Running out of time to study for that final, or worse, forgot to study at all and it’s late the night before? Purdue University Global recommends playing recorded lectures on double speed for as long as you can before the exam.
True, the information will likely not stick as if it was thoroughly studied and memorized, but it is a tip for those times when time is not in your favor and you still have a few minutes before the final.
- Smell the Roses… or Chew a Piece of Gum
One well-known tip that many students take advantage of is taking frequent breaks, exercising or going for strolls outside to get some fresh oxygen to the noggin. What happens, though, when the weather is acting up or you don’t have opportunity to get out and about?
Purdue University Global recommends spraying a scent to accompany you while you’re studying—preferably an unfamiliar one—is said to have the same effect as an outdoor stroll.
In addition to this, spraying that scent once again just before your test is said to jog your memory and help the brain recall information associated with that scent. If you’re not a very scentsy person, chewing gum is said to have the same effect.
- Get a Move on
Shana Lebowitz, a writer for Greatist.com, recommends switching up study spots and moving around to help stimulate brain activity and keep yourself awake.
“Research suggests studying the same stuff in a different place every day makes us less likely to forget that information,” Lebowitz writes. “Every time we move around (from the library to the coffee shop or the coffee shop to the toilet seat), we force the brain to form new associations with the same material so it becomes a stronger memory.”
So whether you like to get up and walk, jog, dance or just go to the student center for something to drink, any form of movement may actually help you study!
- Look at the Wall
Students may have heard the tips before that stress the importance of mediation. This can be done in a number of ways, but in her article, Lebowitz recommends staring at a wall or blank space for three minutes before a big test or paper to help calm anxiety and boost attention span.
In her article she said that regular meditation (not of the wall, but just a form of regular rest) is proven to be most beneficial, but the three minute exercise may help with any last-minute jitters.
There you have it: a few of the most unusual study tips you may ever read, yet potentially promising