Final exams are fast approaching, and if you're anything like me, studying is not your strong suit. If absorbing the material in class is not enough to really make it sink in, and you're tired of simply reading through your notes or making flashcards, try some of these quirky study tips to put you on track toward that coveted A.

Note: I have used all of these techniques to some extent and found them all to be useful in certain situations.

1. Write on a window.

Grab your favorite dry erase markers and get to work! Pick a big window in your apartment or your favorite study room in your dorm and write out the overarching ideas of the subject you're studying. The colorful inks and interesting positions you'll have to stand in to reach the whole window are sure to get those long-term memory juices flowing. I find that changing colors for each major point helps me keep topics organized.

Don't have any windows readily available? White boards, though not quite as fun, are just as useful.

2. Put sticky notes everywhere.

Try this tactic when you have to memorize lists of words and definitions. I find this tactic works best when I'm trying to learn French vocabulary. Get some colorful (or boring) lined sticky notes and write everything out on them. Stick them on your bathroom mirror or off to the side of your desk. Writing itself will help reinforce the material, and seeing the words every day will supply the repetition needed to learn the content long-term rather than memorizing it just for the test.

3. Record yourself reading your notes aloud.

Everyone has to make some sort of commute to and from class. Don't waste those 10 to 15 minutes just walking; study! But I don't advise reading while walking, as that could cause an increase in pedestrian crashes. Instead, record yourself reading your notes out loud and listen to them as you walk. Can't stand the sound of your own voice? Read them in a silly voice or pair up with a friend in the same class and swap recordings. This is about as close as you're going to get to having your notes in an easily memorized song form.

4. Put your notes to song.

Go ahead! Take number three a step further! If you have way too much time on your hands, come up with an annoying ditty, rewrite your notes in verse, and start recording your first hit single: "CHEM 111: When Atoms Bond."

5. Rewrite your notes in code.

If songwriting isn't your forte, try rewriting your notes in some sort of code. It could be as simple as rearranging the spacing of the words. First, of course, you'll need to rewrite your notes in a condensed form to ease the code-writing process. Then, pick a type of code. The time I did this, I took all of the spaces out of my material and then reinserted them in a pattern. When I was finished, I had lines of one letter, a space, two letters, a space, three letters, a space, four letters, and a space, and then I started over. As crazy as it sounds, my weird brain actually found this easier to memorize and, therefore, to understand.

6. Illustrate your notes.

This works best for visual learners in visually oriented classes. Use this technique to take your adult coloring books to the next level: a productive one. Go back over your notes and figure out ways to draw the general concepts in picture format. Or draw one big picture and make each stroke stand for a different idea.

7. Sit somewhere new.

Heard this one before? Most people probably have, but I encourage you to not just move to your desk instead of sitting in your bed. Study in a tree or on top of a wall. Heights not your thing? Find a basement somewhere — preferably one open to the public — to get a change of light. Or, if you've become tired of studying without disruptions, study in a drug store or doctor's waiting room. When an employee asks if you're finding everything OK, assure him that you're finding more than you ever thought you could.

8. Wake up obscenely early.

Maybe you're stuck in a study rut because your brain just doesn't function well at the time you've been trying to study. There's only one way to find out: Get up before the crack of dawn! We're talking early, people. Like, before 7 a.m. I had a teacher once who would get up at 4 a.m. every day, get his work done, and then come to school four hours later (strangely enough, he was often late). He would talk anyone's ear off about how wonderfully effective it was for him.

But, you might be thinking, this isn't really feasible for the typical college student, who habitually stays up past midnight. So split your sleep schedule. It's a crazy concept, I know, but studies have shown that people are actually more awake and productive overall when they split their one good night's sleep into two or three sleeps. So go to bed late, get up early, study, nap, go to class, and repeat.

9. Teach someone a lesson.

No, I don't mean settle your disputes on the playground at recess. What I mean is that Yoda was right: It is time for the student to become the master. In order to be certain that you have effectively learned any material, try teaching it to someone else. If they understand what you're talking about, and you were able to tell them in your own words, then you have succeeded. You have become the study master.