By Sadie Barend
Welcome back to “Life After North!” I have dedicated the last few editions to helping high school seniors overcome the college application stress, though I cannot say whether my efforts were successful. Regardless, this month’s column aims to help all students remain productive in the final stretch to winter break.
Trust me, I know from experience how tortuous the weeks between Thanksgiving and winter break can be. I would not even allow myself a cup of hot chocolate until I had completed my finals.
Okay, so that is a bit extreme, but you get the idea. So in an effort to not have seasonal depression, here are some tips for students to incorporate the holidays into their studies.
Make a gingerbread house using mathematical formulas
Some may say that incorporating math into a fun-filled family activity is ridiculous, and I would absolutely have to agree. But in the weeks leading up to break, there is unfortunately no time to stop studying. Every chance you get to put your math skills to the test you must utilize!
For instance, when a younger family member challenges you to a gingerbread house competition, have no fear. Take whatever you have been learning in math and apply it to your house. Maybe the pythagorean theorem, geometry or perhaps fractions? Is it clear I have no idea what I’m talking about? Great. I’ll just provide the ideas and you can actually do the math.
Turn science topics into actual experiments
Imagine you’ve been staring at your textbook for several hours and suddenly decide to make yourself a warm cup of hot chocolate. Stop. You have not even completed one page of work and it’s been five hours. To make up for the time you spent scrolling TikTok, let’s suck all the fun out of hot chocolate and make it into a science experiment.
Maybe you could calculate the turbidity of the drink. I actually have no clue what turbidity means, I’m just proud of myself for remembering the word turbidity. Thanks AP Environmental Science.
Listen to holiday music while writing
So you have an essay about the establishment of the Roman Empire due at midnight. Here’s what you do! Forget about making an outline or reading the textbook, just turn on some holiday tunes. It’s been scientifically proven that listening to classical music helps you study, though I’m not sure if Ariana Grande’s “Santa Baby” constitutes “classical.”
Despite this, it’s important to note that while you’re in the middle of writing there’s a slight chance you could be interrupted by Jake from State Farm. But hey, now you have a reason to ask for Spotify Premium, you know solely for academic reasons and not just to listen to the entire Taylor Swift discography.
Immerse yourself in the outdoors
There’s nothing worse than being stuck in your bedroom cramming for tests when the first snowfall happens outside your window. You feel like you’re in prison, except it’s actually your own home and you’re only being forced to read Macbeth.
But who’s stopping you from enjoying the snow? I actually recommend that if it’s snowing, you bring your studying outside! Sure, it’ll be a little chilly, but hey I heard the cold makes it easier to retain information (that is definitely not true).
That’s all for this month’s edition of “Life After North!” and have a great holiday season!
