As soon as you walk in the door, you know you have to do it. Homework. It’s that dark cloud hanging over your head. It lingers. It haunts your every move, staying in the back of your head all night. Finally, you get the courage to sit down at your desk and do it.
For junior David Chengazhacherril, putting time into schoolwork is not that hard.
“I realized fast that I’d actually have to start studying in order to do my best and get the same grades that I was getting [in middle school],” Chengazcherril said.
Chengazcherril created a strategy of studying for three hours non-stop and rewarding himself with small breaks in between.
According to Chengazcherril, his method works very well for him.
“It leaves me feeling relaxed and fulfilled because I work hard and play hard also,” Chengazcherril said.
According to Chengazcerril, while this type of studying leaves him in a psychologically sane state of mind, he is still also no stranger to late nights with only a couple hours of sleep.
According to junior Chris Neuhaus, it is difficult to develop new study habits for students who are already accustomed to procrastination.
“I haven’t really experienced any other way of studying,” Neuhaus said. “It’s so hard to get into a habit that’s efficient when I am already in high school. It’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks.”
While some study habits leave a person feeling refreshed, others leave a person vying for more hours of sleep.
“It actually helps me fall asleep in school a lot,” Neuhaus said. “I still succeed in school. I just succeed with one eye open.”
While Neuhaus admitted that he has a procrastination problem, he said, “ I don’t do anything about it, so I guess I am in denial.”
According to Neuhaus, motivation is key. It’s easy for him to focus when he wants to, but, if he doesn’t want to, it’s a challenge.
This sparks the question: if students hold the power to decide when they focus, why don’t they choose to focus more often than not?
“Mind over matter,” Neuhaus responded.
Neuhaus explained that he doesn’t necessarily recommend his study method, but doesn’t mind it enough to want to make a change.
Neuhaus found that the focus starts to come in the early hours of the AM when he is in crunch time and just needs to get the assignment done.
“That’s when I really start studying,” Neuhaus said. “It’s all the adrenaline. It just builds up and you just get in the mood.”
Junior Annelise Potter studies in a similar fashion.
For some students, pulling an all-nighter is out of the question, but Potter will undertake the challenge occasionally to study for a big test or finish an important assignment.
Potter specifically remembers her experience preparing for the AP European History Test.
“I studied for two days before the test, non-stop, day and night,” Potter said. “Then, I took the test and slept for the whole weekend.”
Some students develop a set strategy, others procrastinate, but junior Jake Owczarek sleeps with his textbook under his pillow the night before a test.
“It’s kind of a superstition thing,” Owczarek said. “My mom told me that she did it in college. I tried it my freshman year for finals and it helped me. It’s a confidence thing. I felt like I did better and knew more with the textbook under my pillow.”
