1) NO CRAMMING

- Scientists say that cramming is a big no-no when it comes to studying, especially for big tests like finals. I get it, you're juggling sleep, eating balanced meals, having a social life, doing homework, and studying all in a 24 hour period... It's a lot! The key is time management. Get yourself a planner! Not everything has to be done in one day, plan everything accordingly. Just don't wait till you have 48 hours to three of your finals to just start studying for them, because I think I can speak for all college students when I say that just turns a person into a big ball of stress and anxiety!

2) CHECK OUT DIFFERENT STUDY SPOTS

- If you're usually lugging all your books to the library, try going to Starbucks for a while and studying! Or even try going to your dorm's study lounge... Even just trying different spots of the library you usually go to can help. According to the New York Times, even just changing the room where a person studies can enhance retention of the material.

3) QUIZ YOURSELF

-Forget highlighting and repeatedly reading over the same line on a page for two hours. Index cards, online quizzes you make up yourself with the material, having your friends quiz you from a study guide or textbook- it all helps! Practicing through the use of what was previously stated was observed to be very effective as a study technique.

4) GET RID OF DISTRACTIONS

- Put the cellphones away, exit out of any tab that isn't school related, and stop listening to music in the background! Studies show that people who listen to music or text their friends while studying, or way less likely to retain any information... Talk about a waste of time. If you desperately feel the need to listen to music, try some instrumental tunes!

5) GET SOME REST

-Dear literally every student in this entire world,

YOU ARE NOT DOING YOURSELF ANY FAVORS BY DITCHING YOUR SLEEP TO STUDY FOR AN EXTRA COUPLE OF HOURS!!! Plus, research at the University of Notre Dame has shown that the best way to recall information is actually to sleep afterwards! In the study, students were split into 2 different groups- students who studied at 9 A.M. and then went on with their day and students who studied at 9 P.M. and then went to sleep. Both groups at 12 hours and 24 hours later, when both of the groups in the study had had a full night’s sleep, the ones who went to sleep not too long after studying scored higher. So yes, take the time to study for that English final you have next week, but also take some time to catch up on some zzz's.