Keep Calm and Write it Down by Jennifer

Keep Calm and Write it Down by Jennifer - May 2016 Scholarship Essay

If you have ever been a college student, you know that finals can hit you like a freight train and just as soon leave you feeling like a rung out mop. It can be hard to watch. Studying in preparation for the event tends to be ominous. Countless times I have sat staring at my notes wishing for a photographic memory, to no avail, while simultaneously wasting my precious free time. Since it did not look like that wish was coming true any time soon, I was forced to come up with a method for conquering finals in an effort to maintain the decent grade I had acquired throughout the semester.
After experiencing my fair share of finals, I have developed some reliable study strategies. If I could recommend only one strategy, it would have to be writing down your notes. Write down the information you need to know, multiple times. I can thank my high school self for that trick. Unsatisfied with my sloppy handwriting (as a perfectionist might be), I would re-write my homework assignments if I had enough time. I found that I would better recall the information I had copied down more than once. As a college freshman, with my first finals approaching (cue the nail biting), I figured I would give it a try. I started out by writing the pertinent information on a new sheet of paper, and then I would transfer it to a note card, and so on. Just as in high school, I remembered more of the information I had written down when it came test time. That trick has helped me through many finals and continues to help me to this day.
For an added bonus, I take my studying to the gym. If you are picturing someone standing in front of me holding my notes, while I effortlessly perform feats of strength, then you do not know me very well. I consider myself a leisurely exerciser. I make a b-line for machines like the elliptical and stationary bike: the perfect machines for some light reading. Studying at the gym started out as an effort to multitask and evolved into visits to the gym for the purpose of studying and retaining more information. It is easier for me to retain information while exercising. This could be attributed to me experiencing the most relaxation at the gym. I can also focus more on studying by alleviating possible distractions including roommates, a growling stomach, and, the worst offender, the internet.
These strategies have served me well throughout my college career. Are these foolproof, all encompassing strategies? No, but by using them I felt better prepared and knew at the end of the day I had tried my best. I hope my methods will be just as helpful in your studies, but as a wise friend once reminded me, “you gotta do you.” Find the study method that leaves you feeling relaxed the night before finals and stick with it. At the end of the day the most important thing to remember in the midst of all the chaos, is that you have made it this far, a few measly tests are not going to get in your way.