Rabat – The months of May and June are true catalysts for the best season ahead: summer. It is also a time when the weather gets brighter and people start enjoying the outdoors.
For students, it is the most challenging time of the university experience: the infamous spring finals season.
As we draw the curtains on this year’s spring semester, the anxiety level rises even amongst the most confident of students. With dense material to learn, papers to write, and assignments to submit, it can be hard to balance it all.
Fortunately, the following tips will help you get rid of unproductive habits, be organized, and handle your exam season like a true A+ student.
Make a plan
It can be overwhelming to remember the endless tasks we have to do on a daily basis, and it can be even harder to try and do everything all at once.
The efficient way is to write down all the tasks you want to achieve for the day, giving each assignment a time slot while keeping it short and focused, with easily achievable tasks and flexibility in case of delays.
Find an ideal study space
You may be able to study from the comfort of your room without falling into the trap of procrastination. But for a lot of people, it can be hard to focus at home with so many distractions nearby.
If that sounds like you, it can be helpful to try studying at a library if you have access to one, as the environment can help you maximize your focus and cross many tasks off your to-do list.
When you need a change of scenery, studying at cozy cafes is a suitable option for some to enjoy a warm coffee and get some work done.
The end goal is to find what works best for you by trying various study spots and different environments.
Shut down distractions
Addicting and hard to manage, social media apps and the internet in general can be our biggest enemies when it comes to reaching our full potential.
A five-minute response to a message can turn into a thirty-minute mindless scroll on social media feeds.
If you’re spending more than 2 hours per day on social media, it may be a hurdle to your success and you can get lost in other people’s lives and forget your own responsibilities and duties.
Set fifteen to thirty minutes per day to check messages from your friends, get your daily update then go back to your to-do list.
If you find it challenging to balance, you may want to consider deleting your social media apps during your exam season and focusing solely on your studies.
Many modern phones, computers, and browsers also offer different versions of a “focus mode” that restricts certain apps and screentime to help you focus better.
Study with classmates
Surrounding yourself with fellow motivated hardworking classmates can be a powerful asset, as you can push each other to keep studying when your motivation runs dry.
In fact, setting a time slot to study with fellow classmates is significantly beneficial as you can easily exchange notes, find answers to questions that have been troubling you, and generally feel less alone.
Study groups even have some scientific backing.
“Study groups are so effective because they provide a way for students to make the lecture notes their own,” professor of education in Arts & Sciences at Washington University says.
“When students hear the voice of the professor and are taking notes, they are so busy writing that it’s hard for them to really absorb the material,” he adds. “What happens in the study group setting is that through these interaction dynamics that we identified, students could absorb the lecture notes and make them their own.”
Enjoy the process
As challenging and cliche as it sounds, the university years remain one of the best days of one’s life. You will grow, evolve and look back at these years with great nostalgia.
It is a time when you are free and responsible at the same time, you also have the chance to meet different people and build powerful bonds. Hence why you should make sure to be in the moment, not worry much and enjoy the process.
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