Studying with Sanity
By Fifi Fraga
It’s senior year and you just spent your summer contemplating what to do with the rest of your life. Maybe you’re ready to start looking for jobs right away. Maybe what you want to do requires more school after graduation. If that’s your case and you spent your summer preparing for an entrance exam to graduate school, law school, medical school, or wherever you may need to go to continue down your career path, it is tough getting back to school and adapting your summer-study mindset to fit a school schedule.
I spent several hours of each day of my summer studying for the LSAT, and with not much else going on, it was very easy to give it my all. Once I flew back up to school, I immediately had a lot more on my plate. I suddenly had to move into a brand new apartment, catch up with friends, and get accustomed to a brand new schedule. It was hard to find time to study for the LSAT come the very first week of school. I would either have to start getting to campus early, or staying late after classes, which was when I was most eager to plop on my couch. Moreover, I don’t have a car, so I would have to make my plans around shuttle times or other friends’ schedules.
After the first week back, little by little, I would push myself to spend longer days at school to study. I would make arrangements with friends to get to campus three hours before I had class to study. I even found that being home alone in my apartment was a useful and much less distracting place to study than I once thought it would be. One tip for good focus is to put your phone on airplane mode. That way, even if you need your phone’s timer for a practice exam, you will have no distractions. It seems like a pretty obvious thing to do, but I actually didn’t think of it until one of my friends told me that is what he does.
The major key for me has been to study little by little each day. Even when you do not get as much done as you would like, something is something. Get back into the swing of your new schedule, and find what works for you. If you are a morning person, get to campus a couple of hours before your classes and study then. If you need your beauty sleep until late in the morning, dedicate some time to studying after your classes. Most importantly, do not burn yourself out. If you do not take time for yourself, you will not retain what you are learning. Make sure you maintain balance. Eat energizing foods, get some exercise, take a nap, chill out, and spend time with friends. It’s incredible how much social interaction can help your mood after hitting the books for so long in the silent, gloomy top floor of the library. Don’t freak out if you feel you are not doing as well as you hoped in preparation for an exam. Everyone has off days. You’ll get back into the groove of what you have been dedicating your brain to all summer. No matter what your post-graduation plans entail, if you foresee more studying in your future, hang in there. Don’t let your new schedule throw you off. Stay confident. Do your best. Remain calm.
