The Ice Cream Sundae of Study Methods by Jana

The Ice Cream Sundae of Study Methods by Jana - September 2026 Scholarship Essay

If I do a magic bibidi bobbidi boo and learn all of the information in my textbooks, I absolutely would. Instead, I have to stick to traditional methods. As a college freshman entering the quarter system, I learn a whole course curriculum within 10 weeks. Mid terms and finals arrive as fast as bullets, so I developed a master plan on how to retain and apply all of my learnings.

Many highlight the active recall strategy where you regularly quiz yourself on past topics randomly to lock it into your brain. I love this strategy but I do think that this method is an ice cream, and there needs to be additional toppings to make it a delicious ice cream sundae of academic success.

4-5 days before the exams, I sprawl out all of my past assignments and quizzes and highlight each and every question I got wrong or felt stumped on. Then with three different colored highlighters, I categorize each question into topics/chapters to tackle each subject one by one. Using my textbook, I find questions similar to the ones I originally struggled on, and create my own practice tests using Quizlet or manual Canva test formats.

If I get a question correct, it gets a star. If not, there is an exclamation point. Each exclamation point will then be written down and I will find a recorded lecture or public YouTube explaining the related subject. Once finished, I quiz myself again and see if any progress has been made. Once all of my exclamation marks turn to stars, I know I am effectively prepared. The days leading up to the exam, I stay off my phone, eat healthier foods, and aim to get 8 hours of sleep for optimal brain health and attention span for the exam. After the exam, no matter the predicted score, I always treat myself (maybe to an ice cream sundae in fact!) and spend time decompressing with my peers and prep for the next exam all over again.

This system has helped me for years, and while everyone feels worried over the pace of the quarter system, I feel prepared and thrilled to challenge myself academically.