hello there! long time no talk, right? sorry i had midterms! and a girl’s gotta study. anyways, i wanted to share the picture above, which was one of my tweets yesterday. academics and doing well is really important to me so over the years, i’ve learned various things about myself & obtained tips and tricks that seems obvious but tend to forget sometimes.
since i don’t have any food pictures (because it’s mainly consisted of protein bars and scarfing down something before rushing off to classes / review sessions), i’m going to share some tips for exam time! i probably should have posted this earlier but maybe you can keep in mind for next time? 
anyways, tips for you to OWN your next exam
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1. take advantage of power naps
as much as people say “get a good night’s sleep before the exam”, most people don’t because they’re nervous or because they’re cramming as much as possible the night before. now, everybody is different but i do really well with power naps. but no more than 20 minutes! this is why some people can’t do power naps, because you sleep for way too long. 20 minutes is great, 30 minutes is pushing it.
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2. keep snacks with you at all times
during exams, everything seems more hectic and there’s a lot more that you have to do. review sessions, study groups, discussions, studying with friends, and etc. i know that for me, i often don’t have time to go to the dining hall to eat or wait in line (grrrrrr) in the cafés. so in order to avoid hunger, i keep snacks in my bag! nuts, protein bars, fruits are my go-to’s. i’ll do another post on my favorite snacks another time
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3. exercise
who has the time to exercise when you have an orgo 2 exam to study for? well what if i told you will be able to focus better if you squeezed a quick workout sesh in? i’m sure you can squeeze in 20 minutes of exercise. i mean think about the times that you spend checking facebook or emails. a minute here, a minute there, will eventually build up to 20 minutes, right? if you think about it like that, it’s not so bad!
oh and let me show you how quirky i can get. i have these things that i always have to do during exam time or for exams so i thought i’d share. maybe i’m not the only one!
-i always use 1 writing utensil. that one and that one only shall i write with. what is it? it’s this one:
this pen has red, blue, black, green pen AND a mechanical pencil. this is so helpful in classes (ESPECIALLY orgo) because when i write mechanisms, i like to write in different colors and when i do that, i don’t have to switch pens every time! i don’t know if i can write my exam with another pen. a couple days ago, i lost it for a few hours and i almost had a heart attack. i’m actually convinced that i’ll do worse on an exam if i wrote it in another writing utensil.
-i don’t eat sugar before exams. that means cookies, ice cream, and etc. i don’t know why but i can’t focus with the sugary taste in my mouth and even if i don’t feel nervous, i think i am because sugar doesn’t sit well in my stomach.
-i live in sweats. well i’m sure that 1. i live in sweats during non-exam time anyways and 2. everybody else lives in sweats during exam time too, but i have to be really comfortable when i’m studying. like i’m talking full force sweat pants and hoodies. not even yoga pants. i’m talking loose sweat pants and huge & warm hoodies people!
see how quirky i am? please tell me i’m not the only one.
anyways, REMEMBER! stay well hydrated, rested, and fed. i know studying is important but you can’t study with an unhealthy mind & body!
alice signing out! <3
