The further I get into my college career, the more I\u2019ve learned that being a student isn\u2019t just about showing up to class \u2014 it\u2019s about surviving the waves of academic pressure that come out of nowhere. Some weeks are manageable\u2026 and then suddenly, you hit that moment. The crunch time moment. Maybe it\u2019s an upcoming exam worth 40% of your grade, a project that turned into a monster overnight, or three deadlines that somehow landed in the same week. Sometimes it\u2019s not even one specific class \u2014 it\u2019s the sheer volume and speed everything seems to demand all at once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We\u2019ve all felt it: that tunnel-vision, brain-buzzing, \u201cI have to pull it together right now\u201d mentality. You\u2019re scrambling to catch up, stay afloat, and somehow keep the rest of your life from falling apart in the process. And even if you can push through, it\u2019s still a struggle \u2014 and pushing too hard for too long can snowball into burnout, anxiety spikes, emotional exhaustion, and even slipping behind in the classes that weren\u2019t stressing you out before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So since we\u2019re halfway through the semester and finals are creeping closer every day, I wanted to put together something for this month that focuses on not just surviving crunch time, but surviving it in a way that doesn\u2019t destroy you in the long run. These tips are here to support both your mental and physical well-being and your academic health, so you can get through the storm without burning yourself out completely. Without further ado \u2014 here\u2019s my Crunch Time Survival Toolkit: Whenever you have a blocked out time for studying, have a timer nearby and set the first 15 minutes of your hour setting up your study space. This means finding a quiet spot, pulling up notes, study guides, or flashcards, and getting rid of any distractions. All this set up will help put your brain to a productive mindset, which gives an extra boost for study time. After the timer goes off, set 30 minutes for focused study: 30 minutes is a good starting point, but if you\u2019re feeling confident you can change it to 45 minutes or even an hour if you think you can handle it. After the timer goes off, and this is the tricky part – set the third timer for 15 minutes of break. Now, when I say break I mean a mental break, this is no time to get pulled into a phone game or a gaming session. Step away from your study space. Take a short walk, listen to some music, watch a short video (don\u2019t go down the shorts video rabbit hole!), or even just lay down for a bit. This will recharge your brain for the next round of study. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This technique is mostly applied to studying, but if you need this boost on homework or chores and it works? Please do so! Motivation is hard to find once you\u2019ve lost it, but this technique has saved me many times before. Have an alarm set on your phone to remind you to get meals, to shower, and to make sure you get to bed at a healthy hour. Your body needs three meals a day, a shower every other day, and at least eight to nine hours of sleep each night to function optimally the next day. If it doesn\u2019t get those necessities, it\u2019ll start to work against you: Brain fog, higher anxiety or depression levels, hunger shakes, binge eating to makeup lost meals, your skin breaking out in acne or rashes, and worst of all, leaving yourself more open to contract sickness from your immune system taking a hit. All this can lead you to doing even worse in classes where you wanted so badly to do well. In the end, it\u2019s a balance. A balance that has to be respected. So when the alarm on your phone goes off, find a stopping point and tear yourself away from the desk. Trust me, in the end it\u2019s for your best interest, and believe me when I say your body will thank you. A simple goal to aim for: one full water bottle per class or study session. If you struggle with plain water, add flavor packets, fruit slices, or carbonation \u2014 whatever gets you to drink more. And one harsh truth I learned the hard way: coffee, energy drinks, and soda don\u2019t count toward hydration: in truth, almost all of them dehydrate you at a faster rate due to the amount of caffeine within them. They\u2019re fine to have sometimes, but if they\u2019re the only things you\u2019re drinking, your brain is going to be running on fumes and fighting you every step of the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So don\u2019t think of drinking water as \u201ca bonus\u201d \u2014 think of it as one of the most basic survival tools for academic success. Your brain can\u2019t help you pass a class if it\u2019s dried out like a sponge. Fill your bottle at the start of your day, keep it with you, and refill when you can. It sounds so small, but hydration really can be the difference between a productive day and a meltdown day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n TIP #4: Stress Consuming Your Mind? 1-Minute Reset:<\/strong> Stress hits fast\u2014sometimes over something tiny, sometimes for no reason at all\u2014and suddenly your brain is spiraling, your heart is racing, and everything feels impossible. When that happens, give yourself a one-minute reset. Sit back or plant your feet firmly on the floor, close your eyes if you\u2019re comfortable, and inhale for four seconds, hold for two, and exhale for six; repeat that pattern four times. It\u2019s simple and private enough to do anywhere\u2014before an exam, after a coding bug, mid-study meltdown, or even in the middle of a tough lecture. That breathing rhythm signals to your nervous system, \u201cWe\u2019re safe, we\u2019re okay\u201d, which lowers your heart rate, turns down the panic, and lets your brain return from fight-or-flight mode to focus mode. It may seem small, but that single minute can be the difference between shutting down and moving forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n TIP #5: Don\u2019t Know Where to Start? Find What You Don\u2019t Know: <\/strong>For big exams, often a lot of topics end up among what you could be facing – and for finals? The whole semester worth of material. Before I go into focused studying, I find knowing what I need to focus on and what I don\u2019t can help me better prioritize my time. Sure, I\u2019ve looked over class notes and thought: \u201cOh, I totally understand this\u201d and think I know it, but almost always when test time comes around – those questions are the ones I get stuck on. So, how do you know what you know and what you don\u2019t know? If your professor has any exam review or practice tests, many of them will have example problems that will most likely look like exam questions. When you have time, answer each as if it were the actual test – put your brain\u2019s retention to use. Then, go over the answers with an answer sheet and compare. Any problems you got incorrect? Mark them as topics to focus on when it comes to your study time. If your professor doesn\u2019t have any exam review or practice tests, don\u2019t worry! Sometimes redoing a few old homework problems from each section you\u2019re being tested on can work as well, and if it\u2019s more definition-based? Quizlet\u2019s<\/em> test generation with their study sets can work wonders. Make sure you\u2019re marking down what you need to review someplace you can see it – Notes app, a notebook, a Post-It – wherever. And refer back to it, crossing out topics as you go over them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n TIP #6: The Group That Studies Together, Aces Together: <\/strong>I know you\u2019ve probably heard this one before on every study tips poster or RA board, but it\u2019s foolproof for a reason. If you have a few people you click with, or even a friend that you share a class with, inviting them for a study session can really help boost productivity. Professor office hours are great for those problems or questions that it feels no one can answer, but if you\u2019re stuck on a topic, sometimes having someone else who can explain it to you in a way you can understand can help it really click. Google and tutors can sometimes use so much technical language to explain a topic that you end up feeling more lost than when you began. A study group can also keep people accountable and focused while still maintaining a laid back, relaxed vibe to your studying that those focused study sessions by yourself can lack. This won\u2019t work with every single person, and it\u2019s good to be aware of who will help you truly study and who will get you distracted when picking a study group. Some friends are great people to hang out with, but terrible study partners. Make sure you\u2019re choosing wisely. At the end of the day, \u201ccrunch time\u201d isn\u2019t a test of how smart you are or how hard you can push yourself \u2014 it\u2019s a test of how well you can take care of your mind and body while the pressure is high. None of these strategies are about being perfect; they\u2019re about giving yourself structure, compassion, and momentum when everything feels overwhelming. Some days you\u2019ll follow every tip flawlessly, and some days you\u2019ll barely manage one \u2014 and both of those days count as progress. What matters is that you keep showing up for yourself, even in small ways. You\u2019re not weak for struggling. You\u2019re not behind because it\u2019s hard. You\u2019re a human being doing your best in a demanding season, and that is enough. So take breaks, drink water, breathe, make plans, and pick yourself back up when things get messy. You\u2019ve already made it this far, and you\u2019re capable of making it the rest of the way \u2014 one step, one hour, one day at a time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019ve got this. <3 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By: Fallon Weiss, Well-Being Leader for the Kennedy College of Sciences The further I get into my college career, the more I\u2019ve learned that being a student isn\u2019t just about showing up to class \u2014 it\u2019s about surviving the waves … Continue reading
FALLON\u2019S TOP SEVEN TIPS FOR SURVIVING \u201cCRUNCH TIME\u201d:<\/em>
TIP #1: 15-30-15 Studying Tactic:<\/strong> This is a tip I learned over the summer to help with my ADHD, but I\u2019ve found it also does wonders when my brain is foggy or my motivation is hitting a low. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
TIP #2: Have a Strict Schedule – and Make Sure You Follow It:<\/strong> No, I\u2019m not talking about a formal academic schedule, though having one is great for blocking out your day to ensure you have time for homework and study. I\u2019m talking about a schedule around everything else. When you\u2019re in crunch time, your mind will make every excuse to skip out on or push off taking care of your body. It\u2019s happened to me too. I\u2019ll be so zoned into a coding project, that when I see it\u2019s 5:30pm and I start to feel hungry, my mind will say something like: \u201cFive more minutes, just until this project is finished. It\u2019s more important.\u201d Then suddenly it\u2019s 8pm, and I\u2019m rushing out to grab something at the dining hall before it\u2019s closed for the night. But these habits are not healthy, and if you want to be at 100 percent, your body needs care. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
TIP #3: Hydration Equals Causation:<\/strong> Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!<\/em> Our bodies are mostly water, and when you\u2019re under academic pressure, your brain is basically running a marathon every day \u2014 so you need to fuel it like an athlete. When you\u2019re dehydrated (and it doesn\u2019t take much), your brain starts conserving energy. That\u2019s when the brain fog, headaches, irritability, random sadness, sudden exhaustion, and inability to focus come crashing in. Sometimes the problem isn\u2019t that you \u201ccan\u2019t focus\u201d \u2014 it\u2019s that your brain physically can\u2019t because it doesn\u2019t have what it needs to function.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
TIP #7: Study Consistently, Study Differently:<\/strong> Repetition is great for retention, and keeping yourself consistently tested alongside your regular academic homework will make sure those topics truly start to stick. But using the same study methods every single day will make it feel more like a chore, and your brain will crave something different. Not every single test will look the same, questions will look different – why should your studying not do the same? If you\u2019re a big fan of flashcards, mix it up on Quizlet<\/em> by trying one of their games instead. If you\u2019re more of a visual learner, try watching and taking notes on a few educational videos for the topic. If you love those group study sessions but need alone time to focus study, make your own Kahoot!<\/em> and test yourself over and over until you get that fast timing score. Rewrite your notes, draw that diagram on a whiteboard, maybe even in your notebook! Generate new practice tests for yourself, test others, go wild! Make studying fun by always looking for new ways to reinforce the material – that way, your brain will always be hardworking and engaged during study time. After all, one study method never truly fits all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n