As a fellow college student, I would like to present to you today with what I like to call the “Five “C’s of Studying.” While I am aware that each individual has his or her own way of learning, I would argue that every process adheres slightly to this five tier outline.

It’s a week out from the exam, and naturally you (as well as the rest of the class) are quite unaware as to what to expect. Being the scholar that you are, you are quick to remember a handy tool the professors like to call “the syllabus.” After a lengthy mental analysis of where that sheet of paper could be, you decide that it's much simpler to ask someone else what chapters are being covered; this being the first step: clarification.

Once you have been briefed what one should generally expect to see on said exam, you can count on a moment of confusion to follow shortly after. When did we cover this topic? Why am I in this class? Am I sure I should even be choosing this life path? While yes, I’d assume all of these inquiries to hold some validity, they quickly recede as the next stage of studying is approached.

Cramming, a concept that is bound to occur in some form, regardless of your study habits, follows next in our five- step process. I will be the first to say that cramming may not be the most effective system for any form of long term retention; however, with an end goal of having as much information lodged into my brain as possible, I am definitely not against said tactics.

Ah, the tears, commonly known as step 4: crying. Soon after the cramming phase comes a moment in time where a student loses any and all hope they may have once had. What may have been sheer confidence has now been replaced with absolute worry and dreading of what is to come. But with a little bit of caffeine and a whole lot of prayer, the tears can subside as we approach the final, and potentially the most important “C” of all, completion.

Let’s be realistic, odds are you won’t be the first one done with the exam. You probably won't be the last, but the hallowed act of placing your test on the desk first is a privilege. Nonetheless, you are finished; you have completed the assessment. To look down at your exam, with all the bubbles having been filled with expert precision, is to bring upon indescribable relief. The “5 C’s of Studying” have been executed, and all is well.