Column by Jordan Covvey

Do you ever find yourself in a situation where you can’t help but feel like a hypocrite? I often hear people complain about prices at the gas station as they fuel up Suburbans and Hummers and other times, I have a giggle about the ever-growing trend of “environmentalist” celebrities. Better yet, you barely can turn on the television without catching the news headlining the bust of some politician or moral authority, often arrested for some unspeakable act that they’ve been preaching against for years. But, I will admit that like anyone else, I am not immune to these occasions. This is the main reason I hesitate to write about stress management during midterms.

Spring Break is nearing and midterms are here, which means that you can practically taste the tension on campus. Willy T has exploded into a breeding ground for class notes, textbooks and contraband junk food. So what is the best way to make it out alive? I can offer you a few truths and myths to distract your studies.

Truth: Pulling an all-nighter will not improve your grade. A small study done at St. Lawrence University in New York showed that the average GPA among students who have never pulled an all-nighter was 3.2, compared to 2.95 for students who have. I know many of you are convinced that your best learning happens at 3 a.m. before an exam, but have a little faith in what you already know. When you cram chronically and deprive yourself of sleep, you start to backpedal in your cognitive development. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine reports that there is an association between a lack of sleep with an increased risk of depression, obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Myth: Caffeine is the best way to make it through the study rough patches. Another study at East Carolina University assessed energy drink consumption patterns in university students and found that 65 percent of energy drink users consume the beverage due to insufficient sleep and 50 percent consume the beverage while studying or completing a major course project. Furthermore, these energy drink users experienced more jolt and crash episodes, heart palpitations and headaches. Not exactly the best additions to studying for exams.

Truth: Technology can hurt you more than it can help you. I am notorious for bringing my laptop to the library because I like to have a quick reference to look something up when I don’t understand my notes. Sounds like a good thing, right? But along with this quick reference comes a music player to plug my headphones into, instant access to my Facebook addiction and a 30 minute game of ‘six degrees of Wikipedia.’ And I’m guessing that I’m not the only one who does this. My advice? Unless you are writing a paper, leave the laptop at home and take occasional breaks between your readings to distract yourself on the Internet. You’ll save more time and study more efficiently.

The ultimate truth is that everyone has his or her own study groove. My hope is that if you give them a try, these adjustments in your routine may help you reach post-midterm salvation a little better. Small changes can reap big rewards. And if all else fails, take a short study break one night. A short elevator ride to the 5th floor of Willy T might lead you to me, my thermos of coffee and Wikipedia. And you’ll have every right to shake your finger and call me a hypocrite.