Things That Saved My Life During Midterms

Posted on November 5, 2024

Welcome back queens! I hope everyone is getting excited about Halloween and the cold weather. Now that (my first!) midterm season has come and gone, I must say that these exams sucked and also made me learn a lotttt about myself and my studying habits. Considering that I have many more midterm seasons to withstand, I took note of the things that worked really well for me while preparing for these exams and the things that really didn’t. And what kind of person would I be if I didn’t share that knowledge?

So – here are things that saved my life during the last couple weeks and will definitely save your grades next midterm season, or anytime you have truckloads of work to do.

1. Finding a good study spot

Now, I’ve already made a post about this before, but finding your ideal study spot is CRUCIAL to a good midterm season. Because you will be doing lots of studying, and you need a place where you are comfortable and you can focus. Most of all, that place should NOT be in your dorm or apartment. While I do know many people who can manage to be productive in their homes, I also know that the majority of us cannot adequately be productive for long periods of time that way. So finding a place away from your room where you can still be comfortable and not get distracted is vital. Plus, studying elsewhere is a nice change of scenery and forces you to actually go outside – I know that I sometimes have a tendency to rot away the days in my dorm which is very much not healthy. So get up, grab your backpack, and leave. your. room!!

If you need some suggestions on where exactly you might be able to go study, you can access my previous post about this here.

2. Knowing how & what to study

This may seem obvious, but knowing what to study and how you can study most efficiently is extremely important. Once I got to college, I realized that I actually didn’t really know how to study and I needed to figure it out – fast.

Two things that personally helped me learn how to study was the fact that I know I will not remember something if I don’t write it down with a physical pen and paper, and I am a visual learner. So while figuring out what works best for me during this time period, I tried lots of things.

If applicable, I looked up and rewatched videos we’d seen in class. I hand wrote all my notes, looked over them the next day and highlighted important parts. I made flashcards on Quizlet (highly recommend, though unfortunately I am broke and still can only use the free version) and utilized the games and practice tests available there.

This was all wildly helpful, but the most useful thing I ended up doing was the spaced repetition method – a scientifically proven method to help improve active recall and assist with memorization. Studies have shown that the spaced repetition method can improve learning and reduce the time spent studying, which is the ultimate goal! Spaced repetition involves reviewing the information you need to learn in intervals the slowly become closer and closer together as you get closer to when you need to actually apply the information (like on an exam). Personally I liked the 2357 method – I first started studying the material for my exams seven days before the exam, then studied again 5 days before, then 3 days, then 2 days, then the day before. I haven’t gotten my midterm grades back yet, but I felt pretty confident, so I would say it worked! In addition,  Quizlet actually uses the spaced repetition method in the way they present the flashcards to you and generate the practice games. So if you discover that this is something that works for you, I highly recommend.

Now, keep in mind that everyone’s brain is wired differently. So these things that worked for me may not work for you. It’s a big trial and error process! To each their own 🙂

3. Knowing when to stop

It often seems like there are never enough hours in the day to do all that we need to do – but even though the stress and chaos of midterms may make it seem like you have to be locked in nonstop, that is unsustainable and unhealthy. While I’m sure you’ve been told this many times before, taking breaks and making sure you’re keeping your brain and body healthy will help you do better on your exams. I know that personally I tend to hyperfocus on my schoolwork for hours and hours at a time without eating or taking a break, and whenever I finish an hours-long study session like that, I always feel so bad – mind numb, migraine starting, back hurting, throat dry, etc. etc.

So to make sure I stayed healthy and balanced during the midterm season (and also in general, not just during exams) I blocked out my time in my planner so that I would never be studying for ridiculous amounts of time. I would study for a calm two or three hours and then take a break to eat, doom scroll, take a walk, etc, and then come back for another two-three hours whenever I next had free time. I noticed that I was able to be more productive during these shorter study sessions when I did other things to care of myself in between – and I always tried to go to bed before midnight on the weekdays so I could stay well rested for the next day. I know it’s not easy to stay up on taking care of yourself – I have struggled with it for a long time. But you can do it, and you will feel so, so much better!

4. Making it as painless as possible

Studying itself is not the most fun activity in the world – we all know this. But one thing that helped me get through the long hours was making it as painless as I could – I always had snacks to eat while studying, or a coffee, or both! I’d reward myself after a long day with a sweet treat (usually soft serve from the dining hall). Some days I would listen to my favorite music (though sometimes when I really needed to focus I’d study in silence). I’d pick somewhere comfortable to sit. Studying itself will never be the most enjoyable, but there are definitely ways to make it better, and it definitely helps.

So there you go! Next time exam season rolls around, I hope you’ll feel prepared and ready to ace every test. You can do it!

XOXO, Haven

Continue Reading →

Is Mayflower Hall Really the Worst Dorm?

Posted on October 14, 2024

Hey queens! It’s been a minute – I hope midterm season went well for everyone, and I hope you all take some time off this weekend to rest and relax. You deserve it!!

Now that I have nearly two months of freshman year behind me, I’ve been thinking back to the moment when I first made the decision to commit to University of Iowa in March. I was unbelievably excited to finally know where the next four years of my life and schooling would take place, and one of the biggest changes for me was moving away from home and living on my own (sort of) for the first time! I was so ready to receive the true ‘college experience’ and a big part of that for me meant living in a residence hall. Because my room selection number was really high, by the time I was able to access the housing application, there wasn’t a lot of space left. As I opened the housing portal, I realized that Mayflower Hall had the most space still available out of any residence hall, even towards the end of the housing selection process. Without knowing anything about Mayflower, I selected my room on the sixth floor and then headed to social media to look up what previous Iowa students had to say about it. And what I saw made me heavily regret my decision!

Mostly everyone I saw was talking about how Mayflower was so far away from campus and one of the worst residence halls. I read how the hall was put on the market in early 2023 for millions of dollars, but ended up staying as a residence hall because so many students enrolled at Iowa for the 2023-24 school year. Most people I saw talked about how it was annoyingly far away from the main campus and not as nice as some of the more newly renovated dorms. Hearing this made me worry that my living situation was going to be, well, less than ideal. But as the housing portal had closed, I didn’t have any other option but to stick it out and experience it for myself. 

When I stepped into the Mayflower building for the first time on August 17, I had no idea what to expect. I knew I was on the sixth floor in a suite-style room – every dorm in Mayflower is actually a suite style, which means that there’s two doubles connected with a shared bathroom and kitchen. But besides that, I knew nothing about the size of the room or how ‘nice’ it would be. 

On August 17, as I stepped into my new home for the first time, I braced myself for the worst. But to my surprise, it was nowhere near the dismal dorm I had been told to expect from previous students. My high captain bed was right by the window looking out over the park and river, making for an absolutely gorgeous view. A wall with plenty of closet space separated the bed area and the desk area of the dorm, making it feel like two rooms instead of one! The kitchen came equipped with a four burner gas stove and full size fridge and freezer. The bathroom had two sinks, a closed-off toilet area and shower, and mirrors with storage behind them. It was a lot more spacious and ‘homey’ than I was expecting. And best of all, it was not any more expensive than if I had roomed in a more “traditional” double dorm in a different residence hall!

Besides just my dorm room, I discovered the other cool features at Mayflower – like the convenience store stocked with delicious snacks and flex meal options, the fitness center equipped with lots of machines and equipment for when I didn’t feel like heading over to the Rec, and the computer lab. 

Over the first week while I settled in at Mayflower, I learned some good (and bad) things about the residence hall. For example, the elevators were tiny and always crowded, but that gave me more opportunity to bond with people and make new friends. The distance from campus was definitely annoying at first, but that means when I decided to walk I could get lots of my steps in for the day. And because most of the time I chose to take the bus, I quickly learned the bus routes and how to navigate the Transit app, which was super helpful. Because Mayflower is one of the largest dormitories (housing over 1000 students!) there’s a lot of people I’m able to bond with over the fact that we both live in Mayflower. Finding out someone else lives in the same residence hall as you is always a great way to connect!

Overall, even though I wasn’t sure if I would like living in Mayflower, it’s actually been a great experience with not a lot of downsides. And plenty of other Mayflower residents agree. ” I like having a kitchen and fridge because it keeps me from being homesick and I can make food that reminds me of home,” said Haya Hussain, a freshman resident. 

“I like that the bed and desk area is separate so I can study while my roommate is sleeping and we don’t have to go to bed at the same time,” said Lilliana Wenk, another freshman resident.

So if you plan to live in a residence hall next year, don’t cross Mayflower off your list yet – you might just be surprised at how much you’ll end up liking it!

Continue Reading →

My Top 5 Study Spots On Campus

Posted on September 26, 2024

Hey queens!! I hope everyone is enjoying the first month of the new semester and settling in. My first couple weeks here were a huge adjustment and took a bit to get used to, and I’m sure many other freshman felt the same. One of the biggest changes was the workload – so many notes, readings, and discussion posts! 

And now, as we start to head into the first exams of the season, the workloads are continuing to pile up for all of us. Now that I’ve been settled in at Iowa for a hot minute, I’ve realized the most important thing for me to stay on top of it all is to find my SPOT. You know – a quiet place to sit down and really lock in on my schoolwork. While exploring campus I’ve found several good study spots, and though I’ve considered gatekeeping my favorites, they’re really too good not to share! So if you haven’t discovered your spot yet, I hope you can take a little inspiration from mine 🙂

Before I jump in, remember that everyone works differently in different environments. What works super well for me might not be your favorite option. That’s why I’m sharing pros and cons of each spot so you can know if a spot that I hate might actually be good for you, and vice versa. So, without further ado, let’s get started!

1. Prairie Lights Cafe
   One of the places I always see people studying in are coffee shops – because who doesn’t like some caffeine to sip on while doing schoolwork? So I’ve tried studying in a few coffee shops and my favorite by far is definitely Prairie Lights cafe. In case you didn’t know, Prairie Lights is a local bookstore downtown with a cafe on the second floor. I like to sit by the window and enjoy the view while drinking some iced coffee, and it’s super nice! However, if you like to be in a place without a lot of people, this might not be the spot for you – it’s never super crowded, but there’s always other people in the cafe (they have good stuff!). 

2. Outside
   When the weather’s nice, it’s good to go outside and get some fresh air. It can certainly help boost productivity. And I know I’ve already seen a lot of people studying outside in the grass this semester. So I’ve tried it too! My favorite outside spot so far has been on the lawn in front of the Pentacrest, facing the downtown area. There’s lots of space to spread out and so many trees to shade you from the sun. Now of course you can always hear the sounds of the downtown area and the people walking by, so if you need mostly quiet to study, this probably won’t work for you, but it can be super nice to enjoy the outdoors while studying, especially in autumn!!

3. Lindquist Center
   

   

   As an elementary education major, I’ve spent a lottt of time in the Lindquist Center. So, I’ve often ended up studying there so I don’t have to walk a super long way to get to my next class. In my time there, I’ve discovered some amazing study spots! 

   If you go into South Lindquist and go through the doors to the Al Hieronymus Student Learning Center, you’ll find a cozy lounge area with lots of tables and chairs. including these huge gray ones that are so comfortable to study in! They have a really tall headrest that covers three sides, so you can’t see the people next to you and get distracted. (That’s why I call them cubby chairs). It’s really helpful for me personally, and I always see at least a few other people using them too, so they definitely work! 

4. Burge Booths
   Anyone who knows me personally knows that my absolute favorite color in the entire world is green – it’s even scientifically known to help calm your mind. And to be productive, I need a comfortable place to settle in. So that’s why one of the best study spots I’ve found is the booths located in the basement of Burge Hall. If you enter through the main entrance and go down the stairs, you’ll see a row of green booths right in front of you! These booths are cozy and quiet and can fit multiple people if you want to study with some friends. They even have a large whiteboard on the wall of each booth, which is super helpful for planning group projects or working out math problems! I’ve done some of my best work at the Burge booths (I actually wrote this post in one of them). 

   

   
   It’s a pretty quiet place most of the time, however, if you don’t have headphones or earbuds and you get easily distracted by noise, this might not be the place for you. Because it’s right below the main lobby, you can hear a lot of noise from the people coming in, or the other people in the basement (there is a ping pong table and people can get loud!). Luckily, I’ve never had anyone super noisy come into the basement while I was studying. Just something to keep in mind if you need total quiet while doing your work.

5. Hillcrest Booths
   In my humble opinion, Hillcrest has the best dining hall – and the best study spots. On the floor right above the dining hall, there’s plenty of little study areas. My favorite are the blue and green booths, but they are a popular place, so sometimes it’s hard to snag one! Whenever I do, though, I become super productive – there’s an outlet so I can plug in my computer, a bathroom right nearby, and the dining hall right below for when I get hungry. Whenever the booths are full, I like to sit on the lounge chairs overlooking the river. It’s a fantastic view! The only qualm I have with the lounge chairs is that it’s hard not to fall asleep because they’re so comfortable. And besides the booths and lounge chairs, there’s lots of other seating options for studying in the area. It’s easy to find one that suits your needs!!

So there we are – hopefully I inspired you to explore and find some new study spots. I hope you can find your best places to be productive this semester. Wishing all of you health and good grades!! Go Hawks!

XOXO, Haven

Continue Reading →