Tell me your study habits!

It's 2am and I'm typing this instead of sleeping or studying.

There are certain places I prefer to study (if and when I choose to). None of which include the university, the library and, god forbid, my own room or anywhere else in my house.

I think I find difficulty in doing anything is because I need established places. By which I mean, these are places where certain actions can take place, and only those actions.

The university is generally a place to learn new things, the library to me is a place to sleep or find solitude due to the silence and my home is a place I go to relax. No study can happen in these three places because they aren't established in my head as viable study areas.

Strangely enough, McDonald's is one. Coincidentally, it has become my favourite place to study. The branch in Botany has the right furniture, the perfect lighting, the best ambience and to top it off, filled with relatively cheap comfort food. I find it the best place to revise, brood or daydream. At least for me.

Also, I am comfortable going there alone and sitting for hours on end, with my earphones in and closed off to the world. This past week, I've spent many of my waking hours sitting in McDonald's. So many that I probably gained 5kgs!

Back to point; it's that time of the year again when all uni students in NZ are cramming for exams. Don't give me that look, you can deny it all you want, but the immediate days leading up to an exam are the days you learn the most!

Panic has set in and I've successfully convinced myself that I'm bound to fail. This scenario unfortunately happens every semester. I go through denial first though. So why am I not studying?

I've learnt something about myself. Normally, I cannot concentrate for more than ten minutes. Under stress an panic, I find I can go for hours. But the maximum amount of time I can successfully study is approximately 4 hours. After that, everything stops and I have trouble understanding the simplest of things.

I've done more than four hours today, any more and I won't even be able to recall anyway. So I jumped into bed. Except, just before I went to bed, I couldn't figure out something I was studying and now, my brain has latched onto it and it keeps trying to figure it out. I'm sleepy, exhausted and I need to wake up early tomorrow for work!!! But I cannot sleep!

There's been at least three times when my brain gets close to figuring it out but then I lose my train of thought, thus having to start again! I've had enough! Let me sleep! Please!

The second thing I learnt about myself is that I work better with a buddy. We don't even have to be studying the same thing. We also don't even had to talk! Except having a study buddy for the same subject is pretty good too. You can share the load then swap notes.

Which is probably why studying in McDonald's works for me. I can pretend everyone is a study buddy and they are all keeping an eye on me, making sure I do my day's work.


But knowing all that, I'm curious about what unconventional study habits other people have... Please enlighten me?

Exams

Without fail, at every end of semester, I get that dreaded feeling that I'm going to fail really badly. This semester is no different.


For one of my geography papers, we have to do a group research project. PANIC! I've actually already "passed" but if we fail the research, we actually fail the whole paper even if the research part is only 20% of the final grade!


For another paper, the teacher put up my marks for a test. I didn't do spectacularly and only got 63.9/85? But she made a mistake and input the number as 36.9. I stared at the screen tiredly and decided I was way too tired and depressed and hopeless to give a shit. I'll deal with it tomorrow or something. This however, didn't ease my insecurities about failing. I say it every semester and I'll say it again now... I should have studied. Regardless, 63 is an abhorrent mark. Seriously. Disgusting.


My other geography paper... it's interesting and all but I do crap when I write about it. I understand the concepts and shit but apparently I suck at writing it all down in exams. I'm SORRY OK. So I've already given up for that paper, I'll be glad if I pass it.


I should be most worried about politics. Mainly because that essay I wrote without doing research first is worth 40%. When I was handing it in, I met this other good looking European guy who was also handing in the same assignment. He chose to do the exact same question I did. Except when I asked him what direction he went in, he started talking about pragmatism or something and a whole lot of other terms. Now I didn't actually sleep more than a few hours that night/morning and I blinked at him incredulously because whatever he was saying was definitely not processing in my brain. He then asked me to join him... to smoke some weed. In my sleepy haze, I almost took up on his offer. I reckon if I had not driven to uni and I did not have work that night, I would probably have agreed.


Anyway, my point is... we did the same question, but seems like he went off in a different direction and now I'm freaking out because it's fucking 40% and whatever the fuck he spouted sounded way more intelligent than the bullcrap I made up.


I think I'm going to fail.




After our group meeting, I went to the 360 office and then did my degree planner with both my degrees. I met the rudest administrator in the science department. What a fucking bitch. I talked to her like you would in a normal conversation. She talked back at me like she was so fucking superior. Well excuse me if I thought you'd rather me talk at you instead of giving you an opportunity to reply. I'll talk at you next time, OK? Also, I found out information system is actually not a "major subject" (i.e. not a subject you can major in) under the science faculty. WTF THEN WHY IS IT IN YOUR FUCKING BOOK? So I guess I'll have to change to computer science as my filler courses. Fuck you, uni.


Getting my ass overseas is looking more and more inviting. Gotta pass with a good grade first though. Not looking too promising. Unless someone gives me a few good tips on cramming and essay writing during an exam? Please, I'll take anything!