Mental Health and Wellness at Nobles: Study Strategies

Study Strategies by and For Nobles Students

• Don’t feel bad about taking breaks from studying if it helps you relax and focus later. (Michaela Sylvia ’19)
• When you’re studying for a subject, don’t worry about your other subjects. Just get that one done. (McQuillen Martinez ’19)
• Take 10-minute coloring breaks to relax during studying. (Susan Rowley ’19)
• Study enough that you are confident in yourself. (Rithik Alluri ’19)
• Bake some food for yourself if you need a break; also ceramics is relaxing. (Nicole Weinsten ’19)
• Go to the painting studio to relax. (Charlie Gatnik ’19)
• Don’t listen to music while you study. (Sarah Mansour ’19)
• If you’re feeling really tired and unproductive, figure out what homework you can do during frees the next day. (Max von Schroeter ’19)
• Pretend to be the teacher teaching the subject matter to other people so that you are more confident. (Grayson Welo ’19)
• Use a song or rap to confidently memorize information. (Amarachi Ndukwe ’22)
• Take breaks to listen to music or dance after every subject to release pent-up energy and help you focus better. (Madeleine Charity ’19)
• Stay after school with a friend and write out all the material on one of the the big whiteboards in a classroom. (Gustave Ducrest ’18)
• Look at old tests or homework assignments, especially in math and science, so that you know what type of problems might show up on the test and you’re not surprised and stressed. (Gustave Ducrest ’18)
• For math or science, every time you finish a problem, draw a smiley face or doodle as a tiny break and to promote positive thoughts.
• Chunk the information into different blocks to make it seem more manageable. (Sophie Eldridge ’19)

The night before:

• Stop studying by at least ten the night before a big test. (Charlie Gatnik ’19)
• Go to sleep early. (Ben Fernando ’19)
• Drink vitamin water to stay healthy and energized. (Caroline Kinghorn ’19)
• Eat healthy so that you are feeling your best.
• Exercise before you shower then go to bed, because exercising before sleep helps the brain relax.
• Take a hot shower to relax your muscles and sleep better.

Test day:

• Play with a dog. (Michaela Sylvia ’19)
• Don’t talk to classmates who are anxious because you’ll just feed off of each other's stress. (Susan Rowley ’19)
• Don’t ask people about information right before the exam unless absolutely necessary, because extra information might psych you out. (Lily Stevenson ’20)
• Go to the bathroom before finals so you don’t get involved in the collective freakout. (Jill Radley ’18)
• Don’t cram the day of the test, it’ll make you less confident. (Jill Radley ’18)
• Tell yourself that one test isn’t going to change your life, to relax and loosen up. (Elijah Shell ’19)
• Tell yourself that you’re gonna do the best that you can. (Hailey Brown ’20)
• Visualize yourself in a relaxing situation, like on the beach or in front of a warm fire. (Lauren Kelley ’20)
• Listen to music to calm down before a test. (Lily Stevenson ’20)
• Hang out with friends to free your mind. (Grace Smith ’20)
• Create a ritual like taking a specific number of deep breaths or organizing your pencils a certain way...anything that helps you feel centered. (Grayson Welo ’19)

Test taking:

• Take some deep breaths to relax and think more clearly. (Susanna Cabot ’19)
• Touch the cold metal on the legs of your chair to wake yourself up and focus yourself. (Ally Guerrero ’19)
• Have enough confidence in yourself that you are not freaked out during the exam. (Jill Radley ’18)
• Be confident in the things that you know, don’t second guess yourself. (Ally Guerrero ’19)
• Wear a watch or get a well-positioned desk in the gym so that you can sneak a peek at the clock—that way you can manage your time better. (Grayson Welo ’19)
• Do your test backwards. If you start on the last page and work your way forward, the test usually gets easier as you go. (Caroline Kinghorn ’19)
• Write down information you think you might forget right away so that you know you have it and don’t second guess yourself later on. (Gustave Ducrest ’18)
• If you are stuck between two answers, your initial instinct is probably right—be confident in your instincts.