On my way to see a friend on campus, I thought about giving a few stressful students hugs and candy cane. A little something to help them stay motivated and get through this exam season.

Having recently graduated, I don’t miss those late night essay writing sessions, catching up on lectures and mandatory class readings. It can be tough being a student. Compelled to do well and to figure out what you want to do after graduation, pressure hits you from so many angles. And that’s not including your mother!

Over the years, I came up with a study routine to help me stay healthy and motivated. Here are my top 5 tips:

1. SLEEP. I don’t know how many times this has been said to me and I’ve ignored it BUT sleep is an important part of your health AND it will help you retain what you’ve studied
2. Take breaks. As much as you want to keep studying for hours on end aka cram everything in a couple of days or in one night, you are NOT a robot. And even if you say you can, think about it, robots overheat when they get overloaded with information in short amounts of time
3. Stay active. Another generic tip but believe me, a short walk around the block or any physical activity during your break makes a huge difference. Staying active helps you unload some of that pressure from studying by diverting your focus on yourself
4. Keep hydrated. I didn’t know for a long time that dehydration affects your mood and energy
5. Ask someone for help. Don’t be afraid to ask your friends or your prof for help if there’s a question that you’re have trouble understanding or answering. Also, if you are asking your friends for some study help, make sure that they are not giving you the wrong answers-DOUBLE CHECK! I don’t have to tell you how awesome Google is, do I?
6. Change your attitude. A bonus tip for those courses you grew to hate over this semester. Think about it this way, you’ll be done with this course after the exam. Take some of the positive aspects of the course, if you can, and focus on those. A bad prof? Boring lectures? Long readings? You can probably name at least one thing that was positive thing if you really looked for it. If not, why did you take that course anyway?

These are some study tips, I’ve used during my undergrad. Though they might sound a tad generic, there’s a reason why you’ve seen or heard these tips before. They actually work! And remember, every student’s learning style is different. I didn’t know I was an auditory learning and a kinetic thinking until my final year of university. Don’t beat yourself up if you can’t memorize study notes as well as other students! You might just have a different learning style and studying method. Reach out to your university’s learning centre.

Best of luck ladies and gents! May the force be with you.

Always,

–K