With upcoming finals and a new semester, it can be difficult to hold back nervousness and stress. It isn’t an easy task working under pressure, but there are deadlines to meet and tests to complete. Despite the many struggles that come with academic success, there are efficient ways to help maintain good grades without feeling too overwhelmed. Below, are a few simple study tips that will help develop a calm and focused mindset.

Videos, videos, videos!

When studying, don’t just rely on what you’ve learned in class, especially when there’s this thing called Youtube. Make studying as fun as possible; if you can’t focus for long periods of time and can’t seem to understand things from a textbook, watch videos. Here are a few helpful Youtube channels for each subject:

History: Steve Heimler (World History), Tom Richey (European history), Adam Norris (Apush)

Human Geography: Andrew Patterson

Chemistry: Professor Dave, Tyler Dewit, Khan Academy, Crash Course

Biology: Bozeman Science, Khan Academy, Crash Course, Amoeba sisters

Math: Khan Academy, MindYourDecisions, Math Antics

Everything: Ted-Ed

Note Taking Methods:

Although you shouldn’t spend all of your time making your notes a work of art, it is important to do whatever it takes to help memorize them better. Here are some ways you can do that:

-Establish a color scheme

-Remember that it has less to do with the specific colors you use and more about how much contrast you create. Consider how much the colors you’re using show up against white, in comparison to the other colors around it.

-Allow the key points to stand out significantly more than less important ones. This doesn’t mean your titles or main points have to be in large fonts, they can also be visually appealing by making them saturated, bright colors.

-It can be useful if your notes include colors that are related to the subject (i.e. reds and blues for U.S. history).

-Organize with boxes, columns, a map-like structure, sticky note attachments, bullet points, and highlighted sections