Student Publications
University of Houston
151C Communications Bldg
Houston, TX 77204-4015
713.743.5350

©1991-2007
Student Publications,
All rights reserved.

Last modified:

Contact:
ktruitt@uh.edu

Opinion
 

Staff Editorial

                Chris Elliott                        Zach Lee                  Christian Palmer
                Geronimo Rodriguez       Blake Whitaker       Kristen Young

Take time off to chill out 

Final exams and due dates for research papers are looming on the not-so-distant horizon -- they're pretty much here already. 

About this time every year, the life of a student begins to feel more like a sauna -- sweat beads trickle down wrinkled brows as precious seconds tick away.

And let's face it: the weather in Houston is enough like a sauna already.

Don't forget to take some time off between cramming and turning a three-page paper into an eight-page paper. 

Sure, deadlines are so close you can see the whites of their eyes, but you won't beat them if you don't have a strategy at this point.

Working hard won't necessarily get you the best grade if you've pushed off schoolwork to this point, so you have to work smart. 

That means you should get up every so often during your all-nighter to keep the blood flowing, and a little leisure reading or movie watching could get your creative juices flowing if you're in a rut.

And never underestimate the value of sleep.

You can stay up for a 48-hour marathon study session, but you won't retain any information if you start seeing shadow creatures halfway through Chapter 6 of You Should Have Read This By Now. 

So take a siesta, play baseball, play a baseball video game -- do whatever it is that takes your mind off the pressure-cooker atmosphere of studying; wipe out the incessant clicks of keyboards with a run-through of your favorite album. 

Studying is obviously important, but cramming is exhausting. 

Keeping your mind agile while you plow through pages takes more than ginseng and lattes, and there's really nothing wrong with checking the Astros' score a couple times as you review your notes from class.

Remember to relax, and have a little fun while you're studying. You'll be glad you did.