Study Habits

I didn’t realize how much my study habits changed since COVID. All of my virtual exams were open notes, open book, open everything so essentially, it was like completing a worksheet. I didn’t prepare for them as much as I prepared for in-person exams because I wasn’t required to memorize all the information. I would have access to them anyway so a quick glance over was enough for me.

Then the transition to in-person classes and exams came and hit me like a ton of bricks. I didn’t realize how much I used to study in high school back when things were normal. Doing very poorly on my first in-person exam since high school opened my eyes tremendously. I would have to do a lot more readjusting to school than I thought. It’s funny: I didn’t think COVID had affected me that much but I definitely saw I became a lot lazier. Since IB exams were canceled, I wasn’t expected to do much studying or work which I accepted gracefully. Obviously, college is a much different environment.

Having just finished midterm week with two in-person midterms in chemistry and biology, best believe I studied hard for those exams. The feeling of opening my biology exam and recalling all of the information I studied caused a wave of nostalgia to flood over me. It took me back to my IB biology class, breezing through my exams after intense studying of the overly detailed study guides I made a couple days in advance with my study group. It was honestly a great feeling and motivated me to get the right study habits back and continue to ace my in-person exams. Covid’s dying down and so are my bad study habits.

- Joyce D.