Tips for the Tired Super Seniors Among Us

Around this time of year, people begin giving college
students tips for their upcoming midterms. 
These traditional pieces of advice are great for some students, but not for
all of them.

What about those of us who have been in college for
longer than others?  We’re not all
starry-eyed freshmen here.  Some of us are
fifth and sixth-year seniors who just want to be finished already. 

This is a list of study tips for all the super seniors
out there who have been disenchanted by the college experience.

Tip
one: Only study for what you won’t be able to guess.

This might seem like common sense, but if you’re
really trying to limit how much effort you put into studying, only focus on
learning the things that don’t have a high percentage chance of you guessing it
correctly.

Remember, if your test is multiple choice, you have a
25% chance of guessing correctly right off the bat. Most test questions have at
least one answer you’ll know isn’t correct, so immediately that’s a 33.3%
chance of you guessing correctly. This number could jump to 50% if there are
two you can immediately rule out.

If you’re trying for a C, which, let’s be honest, you
are if you’ve been in college as long as me, then 50% of questions having a 50%
chance for you to guess them correctly is good enough.

Look, I’m not a math person, that’s why I dropped out
of a science degree. Speaking of which, if it’s a math test you’re taking, you
might want to actually learn all the equations.

Tip
two: When in doubt, use notecards.

Again, you’re probably thinking that this is obvious.
Using notecards is a staple of college studying.

Well here’s the thing, when you’re just starting to
study as you walk to the class where you’re taking the test, do you want to be
carrying around a large notebook, loose papers or even a laptop?

Of course you don’t. 
Half the campus is under construction right now.  It’s dangerous and irresponsible to be
walking around distracted, with full hands. 
Using notecards is much more efficient.

Tip
3: Don’t procrastinate.

If there’s one thing people who have been in college
for a long time know how to do, it is procrastinate. But there is a common
misconception about procrastinating. 

People think that procrastinating ultimately saves
energy and effort, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. If you
procrastinate on a project, you have to expend a lot of energy all at once
instead of spending it in halfhearted bursts throughout the semester.

If you write two sentences of that term paper due at
the end of a semester every week, you’ll probably be done well before it’s due.

That way, you’ll have plenty of time in between to not
work on it, and it gets done before you have to rush. Besides, I can’t think of
anything cooler than a 26-year-old at a college party who slips away to write two
sentences of a paper due in five months.

These are just some of the tips I can give to my
fellow super seniors. Remember, there’s nothing wrong with spending six years
in college. Doctors do it, so it’s perfectly fine if you do too.