How You Know You're In Your Final Year...& Study Tips

Happy Friday all! 

Maybe it's because I was on Easter holidays but excuse me where did April go? I feel like I've had sneezes last longer than the month of April! Now to any non-college human, this fast-forwarding doesn't mean much BUT to those of us who are in college, April is like the Saturday of the year; everything is go go go, assignments deadlines are creeping up fast and all you can think about is the Sunday of the year; summer. 

And if you're in your final year? Multiple the stress by 60000

So I thought, instead of spending time on assignments and my FYP, that it would be fun to make a list of things that you'll relate to if a) you are in final year or b) you've been through the trauma!

1.) You've been using the mantra "It's not due until April" for the past three months. But now it's April and you have to actually do work. 

2.) Vending machine food has become one of your main meals of the day as you live in the library 

"Just take my money and give me my goddamn pretzels!!"

3.) The lady at the coffee dock knows you by a first name basis (bonus points if you know hers)

4.) Time in the library is spent with friends, revelling in the fact that none of you have even started the assignment that's due in two days

"A 5000-word individual assignment due by Friday? I'll start it Thursday night."

5.)  When the time comes to email your FYP for binding, you know longer care about spelling mistakes and layout errors.

6.) You've read and re-read the FYP 146 times. None of it makes sense anymore.

7.) And your brain is in summer mode thanks to that one day of sunshine

But honestly, this time of year can cause so much stress for some students. To ease the pain of studying and writing assignments, here are my tips that I hope may relieve some - if any - stress for you!

*1 Hour blocks - Setting hour time limits is great when you have multiple subjects to cover. I prefer this method with studying oppose to assigning one day for one particular subject as I get bored and lose concentration focusing on one subject for too long.
*Allow breaks - limit them to 15/30 mins max because any time after that and getting back into it will be tough. During these breaks put away the phone! You will lose track of time if you spend the 15/30 minute break glued to your phone. Instead, go for a walk, listen to some music, make food; it keeps your brain active without mentally draining you
*Learn what setting helps you focus the most: for me, I need to be in a formal setting, e.g. a library if I want to actually get anything done. I find being at home provides way too many distractions. But maybe for you it's a coffee shop, somewhere outdoors. Just try different locations and see which works best for you!
*Buy a new notebook for studying; maybe this is just my thinking, but there is something motivating about getting stuck into a subject with a brand spanking new notebook. Is it just me??? 
*Schedule in some wind-down time: without allocating yourself time to forget about upcoming assignments and exams, you will burnout. Whether you have a daily organiser or even the calendar in our phone, pencil in an evening off where you take a break from the studying.

And that's it! Those are my tips that I truly hope benefit some of you! The best of luck if you're in college - regardless of what year you're in! - and keep in mind that pretty much this time next month it'll all be over!


If you have any studying tips you follow religiously, leave me a comment 👇 or find me on my socials @ohhheyitsAimee

Until next time...

Aimee♥