Much love, Shaudeh Farjami

Aside from pumpkin spice galore, spooky movies, and planning Halloween costumes ridiculously early, the start of fall this means that the semester is inching toward the one thing every student dreads—midterms. Stress levels are rising, anxiety is spiraling dangerously out of control and all-nighters are becoming almost mandatory. The off days and memorable moments at the start of the year are being put to the side as we come close to a period that your local Starbucks knows all too well— crunch time. Sanity aside, standards of personal life are decreasing at a drastic rate as we become overwhelmed with school work. 

Nothing beats the feeling of bubbling answers on an exam with utmost confidence. Use that feeling as a motive, a goal for your studying. Nonetheless, I know the feeling all too well of  leaving an exam not sure of a single answer I marked. My solution? Clock it in as an L, and work harder for the next exam. Better yet, look into longevity and plan even farther ahead the next time around. The reality is that sometimes, it just goes wrong. Dwelling on this experience will only hold you back when the next exam comes around. A wise man, by the name of Farshad Farjami, once said: “If you studied your hardest, and you found it to be difficult… odds are so did everyone else.” Leave it all in the test room.

A life changing skill in academic years is not simply memorizing your schedule, but learning how to fragment a schedule in increments. Midterm next Wednesday? Take it day by day. Create a to-do list by the day and check tasks off as you go. You will be amazed to see how efficient you are in a day’s time. To-do lists can be complex or simple. Get this… the only person your schedule has to make sense to, is you. The way your best friend creates goes through the motions of a productive day might not work for you, no matter how effective the habit is. Habits are not universal, they evolve based on trial and error— especially when it comes to academics. To-do lists can be blocked by hours, setting time limits to finish each task to maintain productivity. Pro tip: Complete the hardest task first, otherwise, you will likely dread or resent the assignment at the end of the night. 

To-do lists can be solely academic, or include all wellness, exercise, errand tasks sandwiched in between for natural brain breaks. All four types of tasks are essential to academic success and well-being. Hold yourself accountable! Do not drop the ball and all the progress you have made in your wellness journey or take the “week off for midterms” on all your healthy habits. Take care of yourself and give yourself breaks in your day to recover. Yes, there will always be days where an extra hour of studying will be more beneficial than hitting the gym that evening. There will be days where making an errand to Trader Joe’s can be pushed back to the next morning to reach the 4th page mark of an essay. But, dropping the ball on fueling your body, sleeping regularly, hygiene routines, and staying relatively active will make the bounce back more difficult after midterms are over. 

Studying: a forever changing and transforming process. Some people can study from their bed or couch and get work done. I’m not one of those people. I need to have a space to call “my study space” whether it’s a desk, a study room, a library, or an outdoor table.. In other words, your bed should be a haven for rest, recovery, and relaxation. No matter how many hours I spend cozied up in bed typing away, I do not receive the same feeling of validation of productivity. If you can study with friends who want to work hard and play hard, do it. Your motivation and drive will bounce off of one another. 

Be purposeful and practical when determining the best tactic for an exam. I cannot emphasize practicality enough; maximize your time. A few weeks ago, I was given advice ato “work smarter, not harder.” Thank me later for passing down that advice, because it entirely changed the way I look at reviewing for an upcoming exam. Sometimes, rewriting the entire GoogleSlide lecture is not the most effective way to study. Condensing the key points of the slides can really be all you need. Learn habits specific to each class and ride with that wave of efficiency. 

Romanticize your homework and studying. Pour an iced coffee with your favorite fall creamer, keep notes neat and color coded, find a peaceful study space, schedule in a fueling snack break. Essentially, incentivize yourself. Maybe it’s your weekend plans or watching the newly dropped episode of your favorite show after the assignment due date. Make studying less of a chore, and more of an opportunity to rip the bandaid and get the hard part over with. Use the feeling of validation after an exam for motivation, while rewarding yourself along the way. CalI me nerdy, but I do not dread homework as much when I know I have pretty notes to flip through and a productive, realistic to-do list. Finish off that word count, review that last chapter, and kill that exam. 

Much love,

Shaudeh Farjami