5 Ways to Spice Up Your Academic Life

Already tired of studying for your classes? Looking for that extra OOMPH in the library? We here at the Tiger get it: it’s past the free Add/Drop period, and the honeymoon is over. Studying can get to be a real bore, especially when you’ve committed yourself to seeing only certain subjects. So here are a few pointers to keep things fresh in the library!

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Already tired of studying for your classes? Looking for that extra OOMPH in the library? We here at the Tiger get it: it’s past the free Add/Drop period, and the honeymoon is over. Studying can get to be a real bore, especially when you’ve committed yourself to seeing only certain subjects. So here are a few pointers to keep things fresh in the library!

1. Do it Somewhere Different

Sometimes all it takes is the extra thrill of exhibitionism to stay interested. It really doesn’t matter where, as long as it gets the job done. Our personal favorites are the bathrooms at Frist, in the ‘Prince’ office, in our roommates’ beds (!), and for those feeling particularly adventurous, outdoors: on a park bench, or even up a tree.

2. Try Different Subjects at Once

Author Kanye West once wrote “[Academic] love is cursed by monogom[olog]y” (Hova and West On the Absence of Churches in the Wilderness). We’re not saying jump right into a free-for-all with HUM and Advanced Game Theory, but if you threw in a little microeconomics with your macroeconomics study session, wouldn’t that be naughty? We’re breaking a mental sweat just writing this!

3. Make a Video

This one is more precautionary if anything else. Film yourself studying! That way, if your books are out of town or you’re bored during Fall Break, you can pop a tape in, and relive those page-turns. Just make sure it doesn’t find its way out on the Internet!

4. Set Aside a Special Time

Here at Tiger, we don’t like to tie ourselves down to a schedule; comedy writers go where the wind takes them (far, far away single women). But even we like to set aside one night out of the week to really get to know our textbooks. We like to set the mood with candles, a good Teddy Pendergrass album, and maybe some Sauvignon Blanc.

5. Role Play

For those of you with an especially creative imagination, we recommend a little pretending. Maybe you are the professor of your class, and you just found out that your textbook is very, veeeery bad. Go ahead and chuck it out the window. After all, you’re the boss.

This list isn’t the whole guidebook to a sensational study life. It’s more of a jumping off point. Think of some of your own ways to stay on your A game. If you’re having serious problems, go to Office Hours. We’re sure a few professors around here would love to help you.

– DJM ’17