The first year of college can be tricky. Adjusting to life away from home, and trying to keep up with classes can be a huge burden on a student’s mental health.  Even if you are living at home and going to college, it can still be pretty stressful.  While we can’t make you more comfortable with your living situation, we can offer tips on late night studying so you can keep up with your classes and retain as much information as possible.  

Please remember that these are merely suggestions!  We know that everyone is different and some of the tips in this article might work better for some than others.  We suggest using these tips to help guide you to finding study methods that work best for you. 

Picking your poison

Whether you like it or not, college will call for many late night study sessions. Most people handle these late nights by chugging down a caffeinated drink of sorts. But since there are so many, it can be hard to see which one will work best.

Here are some energy drinks popular among teens and young adults:

• Monster: An energy drink with around 85 mg of caffeine per serving. Monster is known for having drinks in a variety of flavors including Purple Passion, Loca Mocha Java, and Mango Loco.
• Red bull: Since Red Bull has been around for quite some time, it is common to see it not only in the hands of the younger generations but the older ones too. This energy drink that has 111 mg of caffeine per serving and offers many flavors as well. Some of them include, Red Bull Zero, Red Bull: Blueberry, and Red Bull Sugarfree.
• Starbucks Iced Coffee: Considering how easy it is to find this drink, it’s no wonder why it’s so popular. The Starbucks Iced Coffee drinks are sold in small glass bottles that usually have 180 mg of caffeine. Flavors are less fruity and more similar to the choices they would have at a regular Starbucks establishment.
• Celsius: This popular energy drink has about 200 mg of caffeine per serving in it, making the drink have more caffeine than a regular cup of coffee. Despite this, most people see Celsius as a healthier option when comparing it to drinks like Monster or Red Bull.
• Bang: This drink is known for having an extreme amount of caffeine. In each serving of Bang there is about 300 mg of caffeine. Similar to the other energy drinks Bang has their own unique flavors to offer. Some of these flavors include Birthday Cake Bash, Swirly Pop, Whole Lotta Chocolata and more.

Studying techniques

Now that you have an idea of what can keep you awake, it’s time to go over how to study. Here are some common aspects of studying that more students should keep in mind.

While it is important to understand the concept of whatever you may be studying, memorization is important as well. Here are some techniques to overcome the challenge of memorizing information.

• Quiz yourself: First study the information you need to know. When you think you know enough of the information, close your computer, book, etc and quiz yourself. See how much you recall and go from there.
• The peg method: When studying, try to connect important information to something easier to remember. Such as a letter, number, or even a rhyme. Your brain will put these concepts under the same “peg” and will make it easier to recall.
• The linking system: When needing to remember something like a list, create an imaginative story behind it. The crazier the story the better.
• Write it out: Writing can be surprisingly helpful when trying to memorize something. Writing out the information you need to know can not only reinforce the subject matter but open the doors for a different interpretation as well.
• Reciting the information: Like writing it out, reciting the information you need to study can reinforce the topic in your brain and help you remember.
• Chunking: Try understanding the information in chunks. If there is enough time, you can try to study a paragraph or two at a time.

Music is another part of studying that many people overlook or see as a waste of time. However, studies show that listening to music while studying helps more than hurts your results. Not only can it keep you motivated but can also help create a less stressful atmosphere. While you can study while listening to any music genre, classical music is highly recommended so you don’t become too distracted.

Another life saver when it comes to studying are certain apps/websites that can help you remember the information in quick, easy ways. Websites like Brainly, and Quizlet often help students get the gist of what they are studying before going into further detail.

While memorization techniques, things to help you focus, and apps do help when studying; one of the most important elements of studying (that is also forgotten quite often) is taking breaks. One of the worst things that could happen is burning yourself out in the middle of the semester. To prevent this, students must remember to take breaks. Taking breaks can prevent brun-outs and actually help students retain more information in the long run.

Time management

As you get into college it can be hard at times to find ways to manage your time. With holding a job and studying for your career, and also wanting to find time to do the things you like or even have some rest. With the busy life of a student, managing your time is one of the helpful things to do.

• Buying a planner: Buying a planner is one of the most helpful things you can do to keep track of your time. Though you may think that plans are a waste of money and are too expensive, there are many planners you can find at your local Target or Walmart for $5-$8. There are also many apps on your phone or computer that have free planners, my favorite one is the google calendar. Now once you get your planner you can start jotting down your appointments or important events.
• Think ahead of time: One thing you can do to have a consistent day is think of those important appointments or events ahead of time and write them down so you won’t forget. I say to plan a week or 2 at a time. A helpful trick to plan your week is to sit down in a quiet room and try to imagine each day so you can get the feel to see if it will work out.
• Color code: Color coding is a very useful and fun way to decorate your planner. I like to highlight important events with different colors. For example green is my pay day, purple are important tests, and blue are doctors or dentist appointments. I also like to keep a sticky note as a bookmark or even for reminders, you can also color code these but I find it not that important. Keeping bright colors also helps me keep attention to things more so I personally suggest it.
• Try to make a list: Trying to make a list of all the things you want to accomplish is definitely a life changer. It’s almost like a fun game to play with yourself and it keeps you active. I like to write down things I’ll do during the week. After making a list try to estimate how long it would take in minutes or hours. Jot these things that are listed down on your planner and see which days you can do them. Some ideas to put on your list could include, doing laundry, cleaning the bathroom, exercising, or even checking emails.
• Don’t over do it: Don’t take too much time to plan out your day or week. Definitely think thoroughly about your schedule but don’t overdo it. Some great videos to watch on managing time on YouTube are Studyquill’s “The Definitive Time Management Guide” and Lavendarie’s “How to Make Time for Everything you Want.”

I hope these ideas will help you during your college life as it can get crazy and you will be able to use these in the long run.