(written by Rising STAR, Meryssa)

Hey readers! Today I am writing a blog about the tests we all dread during our high school years. Yes, I am talking about midterms! At my school midterms are this week so I have been studying twenty-four seven.

Do you find it is hard to fit all of the studying into your schedule?  Let me help you today by offering some tips to help fit it all in. I have been very busy with a ton of meetings and appointments, so I made flash cards to take with me when I have to go out of the house. Some of you might be saying “Well, I don’t have flash cards” or “I don’t have the time to make flash cards”.  If you don’t have flash cards, you can make your own by folding a piece of paper a few times until you get boxes on the paper the size you want your flash cards. Next, cut on the creases and you now have flash cards. Try writing a question or a word that you need to remember on one side and writing the answer or definition on the other. All you need is your notes or book for the subject that you are making flash cards for, a pen or pencil and a pair of scissors. Also, if you are going out with your friends to just hang out; ask if they need to study for midterms too. If they say yes, say “Cool, I do too!” and then you have someone to study with to make it less boring.

I also noticed that if I study in front of a TV or a computer I tend to get distracted. I find myself saying to myself “I’ll only watch TV or go on the computer for a few minutes” then an hour later I’m like “wow, I need to get back to studying”! So my advice to you is while studying find a quiet place that allows you to focus.  Don’t surround yourself with technology (yes, even your cell phone!) as it’s an easy distraction.

Why is studying important?  For those of you that are juniors and seniors, college admission offices look at your junior and senior grades very heavily. Don’t get me wrong, they look at all of your grades, but they want to see how much you have matured and improved throughout high school and since midterms are a big part of your grade I would study, study, study.

Lastly, I learned to eat something healthy to get my brain going. It helps me stay on track and helps my stomach from growling all morning!

So let’s review... 1. Make studying interesting so you don’t get bored. 2. STAY AWAY FROM TECHNOLOGY!!!  (Because we all know that we can get distracted by a text message.) 3. Eat something healthy to give you more energy.   What study tips do you have that you can share with our blog readers?

Good Luck!

Smiles and happy studying-

Meryssa