Life as a Dare

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How to Prepare for Exams + FREE printout!

Everyone has always hated exam season but I actually kind of like it. I think a lot of that is that I’ve always been pretty good at preparing for exams. 

See, exam season to me means that I’m almost done! So yeah, it’s stressful and there’s a lot to get done, but if you know you can get it done, it’s actually kind of exciting to tackle the tests head-on and see the courses check off your to-do list!

The key to all of this, though, is understanding how to prepare for exams. Once you know that, the rest of it doesn’t seem nearly as terrifying. This is my final exam season until grad studies (HOORAY!) so here are the tips that got me through four years of university. I hope they help you, too!  [Read more…]

10 Best Study Tips | Top 10 Tuesdays

Is it just me, or do most study tips just say the same thing? 

I mean, we’re coming into exam season so there are tons of articles like “how to study for exams” and the like that are great and all, but most of them just present stuff that you should be doing anyway. Like “go to class” or “read the textbook.” I’ve written tons of posts about just general college habits you need like those, but I don’t really consider those actual study tips.

And although all of those things are really important, I want to take it a step further. I’m in my final semester and only weeks away from my last exam season ever, so I’ve got a lot of experience to share with you guys. I’ve managed to keep an excellent GPA throughout my academic career, and I’ve taken pretty much every type of course there is–I was originally a BSc in psychology, switched into a BA in psychology with a minor in English, and now I’m a specialization in psychology and have taken electives in religions courses, languages, leisure studies, and even economics.

Throughout all of these courses, I’ve found that there are some things that just work but not enough people do. These are the 10 best study tips that I think really separate the students with good GPAs from the ones with great GPAs. And I’m so excited to be sharing them with you today!

[Read more…]

Cultivating Happiness in College

I was listening to a TED radio hour last week for my social motivation course that was all about the secret of happiness. And since I’m a college blogger, while listening I naturally thought about how to be happy in college.

The TED talks gave all sorts of different theories, and all of them made sense. Some of them included having fewer items, being present in the moment, cognitive reframing, and slowing down the speed at which we live.

It can be hard to know how to be happy in college. To have happy times, sure, that’s easy. But to actually be happy as a general disposition? That can be pretty tough when you feel bombarded by five different papers and three midterms and the volunteer work you’re doing so your CV looks better for grad school all while trying to keep in contact with friends from back home and figure out how to live on your own and eat healthy and do laundry and the list is endless. [Read more…]

5 Ways To Improve Grades After Getting Low Marks

It can be hard to improve grades when you’ve gotten a failing mark on a midterm or a big assignment, but it’s definitely not impossible!

We talk a lot about how to go from a B average to an A average, or how to bring your work to that next level. But I don’t often see a lot of posts on what to do if you’re flat out failing a class. I have worked through this with so many of my friends, and it’s something we need to talk about!

I have some good news for you: this is definitely not the end of the world! 

If you’re failing a class, a test, and assignment–anything, there are some steps you can take to improve grades you let slip earlier, so let’s talk about it.
[Read more…]

How to Study for Midterms

Midterms. None of us like them, but they’re a sad fact of college life.

Since we can’t avoid them, the question becomes how do you prepare for midterms? They can be so daunting, especially if you have multiple tests back-to-back (*shudders*). However, like everything else in college, I believe that they can be conquered by studying smarter, not harder.

I’m in my final semester in college and am about to graduate with an A+ average. I’m not trying to brag at all–I just want to show you that I do know what I’m doing when it comes to tests. I’ve gotten a pretty solid routine down over the last four years of midterms and exams, and today I want to share it with you to help you survive midterms this winter! [Read more…]

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