It's that time of year. Comparable to the college kids version of tax season, it's time for finals. I know what you are all thinking, "only a few exams between me and summer." But I think we are forgetting about the 10-page paper for economics, four books to read for English, oh and that damn chemistry exam next week. Being a professional procrastinator I have become an expert on how to tackle all these tasks in front of me.

All throughout high school, I probably studied for maybe five exams total. Including the AP macroeconomics final senior year, that I studied close to 40 hours for, only to get a 64 on... oh well. It took me a while to realize that my study methods were all wrong. I was simply copying down the information I had learned in the classroom, and not translating it into knowledge. Just words on a page I thought I knew. And being a procrastinator, I would just eyeball the study guide a few times, shove it in my backpack, and even sleep with it in my bed hoping through some sort of photosynthesis that I would retain the information. But this is how you really need to study to be successful.

Time management. I cannot stress how important time management is, especially for college kids. My first step is configuring what exams I have, when and where. I like to know when my exams are so I can give myself optimal time to study. Everyone is a little different in the amount of actual study time they need to learn and memorize the material. I personally give myself about two days per class to study, and I use the two days before the exam to study. And when I study, I break it up. Studying in either one or two-hour increments. This is where the time management comes into play. In order to effectively study, you need to maximize the amount you are studying in the time you have allotted.

DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE DAY BEFORE YOUR EXAM TO STUDY.

Being a huge procrastinator I used to wait until hours before my exam to begin studying. But I think blocking your time over a few days alleviates a lot of stress and makes you feel more confident in your studying. And this goes right into my next piece of advice: study techniques.

I personally work best with a study guide made on my own. Most professors give you some information about what is going to be on the test, some even give out a study guide. For example, my criminal justice professor gave us a laundry list of all the topics we need to know for the final, and all the court cases we need to know. So when I sit down to study, I will go through and hand-write the topics and the information that is significant and falls within that topic. I write this in a notebook and then type it on my computer to make it more organized. Writing it in a notebook makes me learn it better than typing because I have to think more about what I am writing. And once I have it all written, I type it into my computer on a document and then print it out. I feel so accomplished once I have made my own study guide and I know that it is all information I need to know because I made it myself.

The last piece of advice I can give is to find a study space where you are comfortable and uninterrupted. I hate studying at the library, personally. This time of year, the library is packed with hundreds of students all trying to study. Some students are often very loud and disruptive to each other because the library is more of a social setting than an academic one, most of the time. My favorite place to study is my kitchen table because I am comfortable there, but not too comfortable like I would be in my bed. I also enjoy the kitchen table because I can have the TV on, and I can get snacks at my own convenience. For me, finding the right study space is one of the most significant roles in my study session. I stay away from coffee shops because

1) I'm poor, and

2) there is too much going on and I get distracted.

But this is all personal preference.

I used my time writing this article as a way to further procrastinate my studying, but don't tell my mom. I hope this can be useful during these stressful next few weeks, just think all the studying is worth it when you can spend your summer relaxing and not worrying about whether or not you failed a class.

Although you can't spell "studying" without "dying," you also can't spell "diploma" without an "I" (and lots of tears).