College. This small word with a big meaning can seem scary. It shouldn’t seem that scary for middle schoolers. Although, to help manage stress in high school, whether that’s in one year or two, they’re certain classes to take, and activities to do right now in middle school. Also little things, like studying for tests and getting good habits can help. Studying is not fun at times, but here are some tips to help study for tests! 

First tip: Find out what time of day studying works best for you. Does your brain process more in the morning? Afternoon? Evening? For this I can’t give an answer, since this is what works for you. What I can say is try studying outside, the fresh air is a good thing, and it is less likely to get distracted by a couch or electronics. The most important thing is that every student is soaking up all of the necessary information for their classes, so you (student) can perform well on the tests.

Second tip: Find a “study buddy”! Studying with a friend or fellow classmate can take some of the stress and boringness out of studying. Play a study game, make a song, quiz each other, and try to have some fun! It’s possible to have more than one study buddy, but it may be harder finding a time all of you can study at. One problem about studying with a friend is that we all know it may be hard to focus without going just a little off topic. (You know it’s true.) Maybe try someone you don’t know as well in the same class.

Third tip: I would highly recommend taking a language. Taking a language looks good on any college resume. Not just one year, but four years of one language, or two years of one language with an additional two years for another language. (The total would count as four years of a language)

Fourth tip: Always keep eyes open for activities and classes to help your GPA. There is still  a good chance of making it into a college without taking classes like SAT prep, but it definitely won’t hurt your chances. If anything, it will raise them. Remember, Good test scores =  Good grades = Good GPA

Fifth tip: Rachel Carson is an awesome school with great teachers and counselors. If it’s hard to study, or even just finding time to properly sit down and study, talk to the school counselors or teachers to figure out what to do. School shouldn’t be stressful; it should be a place to learn different things. (Whether or not you will be using them in your future.)

Start good studying habits now. By starting now, in high school or college, it’s natural to know when to study and how to study best. I’m not saying that you need to study everyday, but if you’re shaky on a subject that you will be tested on, you should study for it. I made this article for you (student) to lose stress, not gain stress on thinking you need to study. With that note, good testing!