Raise your hand if you have ever gotten only part of the chorus of a song stuck in your head. Something around the range of five to ten seconds long sounds about right. I am on the verge of exasperation when I can't remember the rest of the lyrics that go with it, so I am stuck humming the same four chords for minutes on end. Then when I try to look up the song on Youtube or Spotify, I can never find the song's name to listen to the remainder of it. The way our brains prioritize some musical selections and not others is beyond my scope of knowledge. I expect it has something to do with the catchiness of the arrangement since I have the same habit of remembering bits and pieces of television commercials as well. While recalling a larger portion of the chorus of a song is beneficial for karaoke nights, it brings to light a vital question for students. If there was a way to memorize better, we should employ that method in the way we study.
 
It is aggravating during a test when I can virtually visualize the entire page of class notes where I wrote the answer to the test question but cannot piece together the correct response. Worse yet, sometimes I have complete and utter brain fog to a question I know the answer to. In these situations and others like it, our memories actively work against us. Why is it so hard to memorize things that we want to remember, but the catchy television commercials get stuck eternally in our brains?
 
Well, I did some research for all those out there who want to study smarter and not harder. One of the best methods I found was not to cram. Well, you want to cram as much information into your brain before a test, but not do it all the night before. Instead, make studying a prolonged process so that the knowledge is stored securely in your brain. Furthermore, reviewing the same materials for hours on end is sheer boredom--and not all that beneficial. Splitting it up across multiple days also benefits in this manner. Another great tip I found was to prioritize sleep. Spending time doing something other than studying is counterintuitive. Especially not going to sleep earlier than average. Yet, when people get enough sleep the night before a test, they perform better. Memories get reinforced during our time asleep. During the day, human bodies complete many functions simultaneously. However, at night, bodies slow down, recuperate, and convert short-term memories into long-term.
 
Next time you start studying for a test, try out these two study tips. If they don't work out for you, that is fine too. There are lots of ways people learn information, and these are just two options. The most important thing is that you find a method of studying that works for you. Perhaps you could even try making a catchy jingle to get information stuck in your head.

--Vanessa Davis

Vanessa is a master's student in Public Administration and Service in the Bush School