Hello dear readers! My earnest apologies for leaving you hanging for so long- my academics, doubled in scope by my rapidly approaching thesis deadline, have had to be my priority. Since I have spent so much of the past couple weeks studying, I thought I’d share with you some study tips I wish I had known earlier in my Wellesley career, to better give you an idea of what studying strategies have worked for me and what exams are like here.
Tip #1) You should start studying the week before the exam, if at all possible. I remember sitting in a tiny room in the basement of Clapp Library, at 10:30pm the night before my first organic chemistry exam, desperately trying to memorize reactions last minute because there was no time left to do any sort of practice problem. Now, I prefer to start my studying (especially for quantitative-heavy exams) a week before. The practice problems can get super frustrating if I try and cram too many into one day, and so I like to spread them out by doing an hour or so a day over a week.
Tip #2) Don’t get bogged down in the textbook. I took a lot of history classes in high school where a thorough textbook reading basically guaranteed an A. College is not like that. The textbook is usually more of a supplement to lecture notes, which are the primary content on exams. Reading the textbook chapters is not necessarily the best way to study, although it can help with concepts you’re unsure about. I actually use my textbooks mostly for practice problems, but they’re usually on the easy-side relative to Wellesley standards, and so I always prioritize practice test questions actually created by my professor first.
Tip #3) Don’t be afraid of office hours. I get that one-on-one time with a professor might be intimidating, especially if you’re not doing well in a class. But Wellesley professors want to help you learn, and you should let them! Going to Chem 205 office hours more frequently was probably the impetus that pushed my grade over the border, and I wish I sought them out earlier in the semester.
Tip #4) Stop studying early the night before, and relax before bed. If I’ve been studying all day and I don’t give my body the space and time it needs to unwind the night before an exam, I often struggle to fall asleep as my mind is still whizzing through the material and pre-exam stress. No exam is more important than your mental well-being, and at least for me this time is essential.
Tip #5) Try to keep things in perspective. Early in my college career, my self-worth was pretty heavily wrapped up in the quality of the work that I did. Wellesley will force you to separate those two things, and at the end of the day I am grateful for it. Life is not an exam, and things will work out, regardless of how stressful they feel in the moment.
Ever lovely yours,
Eleanor
Despite this post, I have an exam tomorrow and am still wishing for a snow day 😉