By Nellie Ferguson
The beginning of each quarter can feel like a fresh start with new teachers, a new schedule, and new classmates to get to know.
Getting organized seems like a breeze at this time, and students are optimistic: writing schedules in their planners, even going crazy buying highlighters of colors besides yellow. By finals, it can feel like it’s all falling apart, all at once, out of nowhere.
Students of every age and background have vices they turn to each time they take a break from their studies. Students also have different modes of fighting back against the pull of 10 more minutes on Facebook, or another chapter of the romance novels they’d never admit to reading.
Bing Qinq is an international student from China currently in a pre-nursing program. She prefers the four-quarter system at SCC to the two-semester system she had in China, even though the amount of testing remains about the same.
I always start late,” Qinq said about studying. Her favorite go-to pastime when she wants to procrastinate is to find a great restaurant she’s never tried before.
Her half-joking advice to new students is, “Don’t be like me! Start reviewing early. Read the books before the final. It’s really simple.”
Greyson Davis, 17, is in her fourth quarter at SCC. When asked if she’d ever procrastinated, Davis said, “Definitely! I tell myself I’ll do something, I’ll keep putting it off till later.” Her favorite way to procrastinate is watching TV.
Prydwyn Goldman, also 17, is in her second quarter at SCC. Aside from the standard TV show bingeing, her go-to procrastinating vice is reading — just not a textbook or assigned reading.
Goldman’s advice to combat bad habits is simple: put your phone away, far away, from wherever you’re studying. And always, always, always, go to class.
When tweaking your personal habits isn’t enough to get the studying done that you need to, you can find extra help at SCC’s free tutoring services in Room 4228 of the library. Tutors are especially happy to help students before finals week. Applications for tutoring assistance can be found at library.shoreline.edu/tutoring.
